The Tragedy of Repetition
by SoulShdw
Summary: In the year's following Konoha's fall during the Sound Leaf war, the remnants have struggled to survive. After achieving vengeance against the Otokage, Uzumaki Naruto is given an unexpected second chance. A shame he didn't get a choice in the matter. Unfinished.
1. Prologue

_It's about damn time..._

Those were the only thoughts that went through his head as he fell backwards, his self-imposed task finally completed after more years than he ever imagined. He knew his time was short, but surprisingly he felt no pain. As if his mind had realized that allowing the sense to reach his mind would do nothing at this point as he felt his life-force fading, just like how the blood that was covering his final battlefield dripped freely from the branches.

_Oh yeah... thats probably mine... and that snake bastard's._ It was a numbing experience, realizing that all that he had worked for in the last ten years was finally completed. Or at least as much as 'could be' completed. Konoha was destroyed after all. His little band of misfit remnants could never rebuild the village from scratch.

Speaking of his little band, he pondered how they were doing. It seems an odd direction for his thoughts to travel in, but then again he had always been an odd shinobi. Why on Earth should that change at this point, even if he was on his deathbed? _For real this time it seems. At least the knowledge of this technique dies with me. Heh, snake-face's Dual Snake Destroyer skill has got nothing on this one. Not even I can get up from this one..._

His internal musing were cut short as he felt others surround his fallen form. He didn't need to see their faces; despite dying from both chakra exhaustion and the effects of his self-created suicide technique, he would be able to pick their chakra out anywhere. "Boss!" He heard the youngest of their little band of misfits say. _That's odd... I've never heard such panic from Konohamaru before. Will wonders never cease..._

"Holy shit..." Came the voice from the one of the remaining females of the group. He couldn't help but chuckle at her shocked words; it was so unlike Shizune to curse like that. He instantly regretted it as the action seemed to stop whatever was holding back the pain and he was flooded with agony. He felt his back arching but hands instantly grabbed his body and held him done, preventing him from thrashing out from the agony. He finally opened his sapphire blue eyes to look towards the woman who was now at his side, desperately trying to heal him.

"Shi..." He tried to say, but he was instantly halted as he twisted his head to the side and began hacking out copious amounts of blood. He could feel the unease in the air, although the way his senses were starting to go, that easily could've been the scent of all the blood in the area. Finally after regaining control, he forced out. "Shizune... report."

The words exhausted him in a way he never expected, and he could already feel darkness encroaching in on his vision. He couldn't let himself go into the darkness, at least not yet. "Shut up you idiot. Why do you always do this to yourself?" The voice of his group's medic cracking, and even someone as close to the grave as he was at the moment could tell that she was trying incredibly hard to not cry. He could only imagine what he actually looked like at the moment. He couldn't feel anything below his shoulders, and idly wondered if his legs were even still attached to his body. There's probably a lot of blood...

"They're all dead boss. We've finally finished this. Even snake-face is dead, thanks to whatever the hell you did." The voice of the purple-haired ex-ANBU shinobi complied with his original request.

_It's finally over then. Only one thing left to do then..._ He reached upwards, hoping someone would understand his action and forced a weak smile as he felt someone, he could no longer tell who, grab his hand and clasp it tightly as if it would bring the blond haired shinobi back from where he was now heading. He rasped out his words, hoping he could be understood. "Konoha prevails."

The medic beside him interrupted him before he could keep going. "Just save your strength. Don't talk."

"Shaddup big sister. You can't save me. Not even the damn fox could survive what I just did." The words were said softly, and even with all the agony he was feeling an the increasing darkness. he was still able to make his tone drip with restrained amusement.

The silence that followed was disturbing. The fallen shinobi could practically feel the sorrow that his comrades felt at that moment and he didn't know whether or not he should be glad that they could still feel, despite everything that had happened to them. He weakly shook his head, dispelling some of the darkness from his vision but began to speak again. "My final orders to you: head underground for a few months. After the locus point is shattered, it will take at least that long for the world to right itself. Then... live."

"Boss..." He fought the urge to look towards his little brother, knowing if he did so that he would never finish what he wanted to say. _And the world is damned if Uzumaki Naruto doesn't finish what he sets out to do._

"It was an honor to fight alongside you my friends. I love you all..." He said, his eyes now drifting to a full shutdown. "Go." He then let his eyes close and let the darkness embrace him. The pain faded and he felt a smile cover his face as he drifted into eternal slumber.

-/-/-/

Any thoughts of peace or anything else were shattered when a familiar voice spoke to him, the rage and anger present making an exploding volcano seem tame by comparison.

_**"IMPUDENT MORTAL! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT YOU'VE DONE?"**_

And the familiarity of the insult, the rage and hate made him laugh within the darkness. "Yeah, I know. See you in hell fox."

The roar was deafening but at this point, Naruto could really care less. It's not like any pain he was feeling now would matter in a few seconds. _**"I WILL NOT DIE IN SUCH A HUMILIATING FASHION YOU FOOL!"**_

Naruto only chuckled again. "Sure you will. You can't do shit about it either. I bet that really pisses you off too, doesn't it?" The roar returned but then was suddenly silenced. Naruto opened his eyes to find himself back in his familiar mindscape before the Kyubi's cage. The cage seemed to be glowing brightly, along with the paper tag that held it shut and it was easy to see that the giant fox was not enjoying the effects.

The fox however was for once not glaring at the cage that held it captive. It was now looking at the young man on the other side. And for once, the demon's eyes weren't full of hate and rage. No, they were filled with something far more disturbing to the blond.

Satisfaction.

_**"YOU THINK I WILL ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN? TO ALLOW SOME FOOLISH HUMAN TO MAKE A MOCKERY OF ME? I THINK NOT, UZUMAKI NARUTO." **_Naruto's eyes widened at the address; Kyubi had never addressed him by name before. It was then that the fox roared once again and the cage between the two shattered as a large burst of demonic chakra flew towards the blond who was still frozen in disbelief. The red miasma surrounded the blond and all Naruto felt was pain.

The last thing he heard before blacking out was the Kyubi's words. _**"YOU WENT THERE TO SEEK AN END. A FITTING PUNISHMENT THEN; YOU WILL RELIVE YOUR NIGHTMARE AGAIN. BE SURE TO ENTERTAIN THE ME IN THAT WORLD, LITTLE HUMAN."**_

-/-/-/

The first thing that came to Naruto's mind was pain. However, his instincts honed since Konoha's fall in the war allowed him to suppress anything that would give the fact he had awoken away. _I... survived? Someone was able to save my life? Shizune maybe?_ It was then that a voice cut into his thoughts. "Ah, I see you've awakened."

That voice cut off the blond's thought processes completely. Gears of rationality were rusted and shattered in a moment when he heard that familiar voice. That old, kind voice. The voice of a grandfather, a brother, an idol, and a hero. Naruto forced himself to open his eyes and turn towards the source, ignoring the horrible pain and cracking sounds involved in said action.

Sitting before him in a chair as a face that Naruto thought that he would never see again. He shouldn't be seeing him again. _That's impossible. He's been dead for thirteen years. _No. Sitting before the blond shinobi was indeed Sarutobi Sasuke. The third Hokage of Konohagakure.

And that was the only thing that he was able to process before blacking out again.

-/-/-/

This is an experimental idea I've had in my head for a while. I'm also using it as a way to break back into writing after taking such a long hiatus. This is going to be a different take on the whole 'Naruto going back to right the wrongs of the past' idea. In most of those stories, Naruto returns to being his child-self; needless to say, I am not taking that approach. I'm going to see how far I can play with this idea for the time being.

As for Clans, I apologize to those who have been waiting for the third installment but its come to my attention that with the nature of the changes that affect the characters in that story, I really would need to write an account of the Sound-Leaf war in that continuum. I actually plan to do that eventually, mostly through a series of one-shots. At that point I'll probably redo the existing chapters of clans and clean those up before finally finishing it up.

Final Note before reading: I will try to use as little Japanese as possible, as I do not speak it or am able to translate it. As such, most jutsus will be in English, along with certain expressions. I know this is an odd break from most stories in this section, but I don't want to be using half and half, and I have no way of translating any new technique names I come up with.


	2. Chapter 1

The old man needed to fight against the sigh that wanted to escape him as he overlooked his village. He paid no heed to the fact that the tobacco in his pipe had long since burned out, his thoughts wandering over a myriad of subjects that he knew he needed to keep on top of in order to continue running his village. Not many ever saw the third Hokage in this fashion. If someone was to walk in on him now, they would be somewhat shocked at how much older he looked at that moment. Even the robes and hat he wore seemed far more worn down than normal, completing a rather uncomfortable picture.

_It's time like this that I wish that the council had found someone else after Minato's death._ He mused internally as he detected someone approaching his office. He let out a long-awaited sigh before turning back to his desk and taking his seat, placing his pipe within the desk's drawer. He immediately focused on the stack of papers that were on his desk and once again frowned. _How many realize how much paperwork the Hokage actually does?_ The idle thought brought an amused smile to his lips. He only chuckled as he picked up his pen, _sometimes its only the little things that get you through the day._

He didn't even bother to look up at the knock at his door before responding, "Come in." He heard the door open and close and the tentative steps of someone coming closer to his desk. Sarutobi merely finished up the form he had been filling out before placing the instrument down on the desk. He folded his hands together and looked up, leaning back in his chair as his eyes were set upon his guest. "So, how is our guest?"

Sarutobi only watched as the head medic from Konoha's hospital seem to fidget for a moment before finally saying, "All things considered, he's doing quite well."

Sarutobi only raised an eyebrow at that. They still did not know who their unannounced guest was, despite the fact he wore the symbol of the Leaf on his head. The manner that the unknown shinobi had arrived was rather... unexpected to say the least. After all, how often does the body of an almost dead shinobi simply materialize out of nowhere, only to fall right on top of the Hokage's desk in the tower. Especially a shinobi who looks disturbing like both his successor, and ironically enough, predecessor.

That was a moment when Sarutobi realized that he had been a ninja for far too long. Mostly because the first thought he had was not even of the body but rather how annoying it would be to redo all the paperwork that the body was bleeding over.

Sarutobi broke out of his musings to inquire further. "I find that hard to believe. He looked like he was already dead. I was surprised when he awoke for those few moments when I was with him in the hospital."

The medic merely sighed and nodded in agreement. "Hokage-sama, I've worked as the head of the hospital for at least fifteen years and I can honestly say that I've never seen someone in as bad shape as that man. Not even the wounded from the Kyubi's attack a decade ago could match that amount of damage and still be breathing."

That didn't really surprise Sarutobi that much, but it did make him more curious. "Elaborate, please."

The medic sighed once again, pulling up a folder he carried with him and he opened in. After a few moments he found the sheet of paper he was looking for and began reading it off. "Multiple fractures along both legs, rib-cage almost completely smashed in, both lungs were pierced by the fractured ribs, and his stomach and liver appeared to be on their way to practically liquifying, enormous blood loss, chakra depletion on a level I've never seen before, a severe concussion, broken collarbones, his left arm was practically shattered." The medic went on, flipping to the next piece of paper as he continued to list injuries, some of which appeared to be from long ago.

Sarutobi finally interrupted the medic, who was now frowning as if only now realizing how much damage the shinobi in question had actually taken. "So he's not going to live then?"

The simple question drew a large frown from the medic. "Actually... he will. He's in stable condition, albeit unconscious at the moment." As if seeing the shock on the older man's face, he merely nodded. "I know, I know. It sounds ridiculous but it seems his body has some sort of instinctive healing mechanism that we can't seem to pinpoint. We can't determine if its a bloodline limit or not, but I can honestly say that without its assistance, we never would've been able to save him. It seemed to pull in any chakra we pushed into him and redirect it to where it was needed most. We set up a team of medics to constantly pump chakra into him on shifts until he stabilized." The medic simply shook his head. "We currently have him on a chakra and blood-replenishing drip that should help his recovery."

Sarutobi turned in his chair, wondering what kind of man could survive that amount of damage. "And the other matter I've asked you to look into?"

The medic nodded before withdrawing another sheet of paper. "We ran the tests you requested. Here are the results Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi turned back to the man and took the form. He read the form in silence, most of the medical jargon going over his head but when he reached the summary of the analysis his eyes closed for a few moments so he could concentrate on what he would soon read. He opened his eyes again and read carefully.

A few minutes later he placed the form down on his desk and let out a sigh. "So it's not him."

"No. That would be impossible. You yourself said that it was impossible to survive the technique that sealed the demon. We also buried the body and it must've mostly decomposed by now."

Sarutobi nodded but only muttered, "Yet his blood isn't a complete match, it is enough to raise questions."

The medic nodded. "We won't be able to determine the exact link to him until someone is able to question the patient."

"Indeed... As of now however, both the patient in question and this analysis are deemed classified. I don't want to start a circus, even if our guest 'is' related to 'him.'"

"As you wish Hokage-sama. Is there anything else you require?"

"No... Although I wish to be informed when he awakens again."

"Understood." By your leave Hokage-sama." Sarutobi didn't bother to watch as the man bowed and left, his focus on the paper he held in his hands, and feeling quite lost as to what it may mean.

-/-/-/

He wondered once again as an attractive young woman wearing white came in to check on him on what exactly was going on. He had awakened and instantly tried to go into defensive mode. This however, led to him actually trying to move, which induced agony he had never experienced before.

It was this pain that convinced him to ignore his usual instincts and open his eyes and take a look around. The room was bright, brighter than any place he had been for many years at least. He could smell the scent of clean bed sheets and antibiotics, which for some odd reason was rather soothing. After further inspection, or at least as much as he could do without moving in any way, he also noticed that majority of his body was wrapped in bandages, along with casts on his left arm and both legs.

Oddly enough he could also tell that his hair had come undone and out of everything else he had recently discovered, for some reason that was what pissed him off most. No one ever accused him of being the sharpest kunai in a set after all. He could almost feel the phantom pain that Tsunade would dish out after that thought.

Oh yeah, and the actual pain. Mustn't forget that. Absolutely mustn't forget the completely overwhelming pain he was feeling as he stupidly tried to shift into a sitting position against the bed's headboard. Pain he should not be feeling if this was a death delusion. And that's what it was. That's what it 'had' to be. Konoha was lone gone, and he could only imagine that this was some kind of final torture by Kyubi before they both passed on.

_Bastard fox. I swear when we die I'm going to administer the biggest ass-kicking the underworld has ever seen._ He once again sent the thought to the great demon, and once again he received no response. That bothered him more than he would admit, as the fox never let an insult slide. The fact that he could no longer hear the fox was... not exactly troubling, as Naruto hated the bastard, but rather... odd.

His thoughts were interrupted as the young woman noticed that he was awake. "Ah!" She seemed rather shocked by the fact and the expression on her face betrayed her. Naruto couldn't help but let out a small grin. _Even if this is a delusion, I'd imagine that working in a hospital of ninja that she would be less likely to be spooked like that._

And Naruto, being Naruto, only said one thing. "Yo." He also put on a smirk that he once used to great advantage against the fairer sex. Or at least the ones who were not old lady Tsunade and his teammate. They had been immune to his 'charms', as he put it, and more often than not would retaliate. Rather painfully at that.

_Ah, fond memories..._

The woman only blinked once, an expression of pure confusion covering her face. Needless to say, she was not expecting the 'hopeless case' patient that she had been told of to actually be awake, and even more unexpected, acting as if nothing was wrong. "Um, hello?" Naruto only nodded once, to acknowledge that he heard her. He regretted it immediately as pain raced down his neck. He cursed at the result of his action, causing the woman to come over and hold him down. "Sir, please don't move. You're very injured."

"I noticed." He gasped out, closing his eyes in an attempt to regain control.

"I'll get the doctor. Please don't move." And with those words she raced out of the room, leaving the injured man alone as he calmed his breath.

Naruto closed his eyes and took some deep breathes. _Okay Naruto, think through this. You pulled of your suicide skill and took out that snake. You're dying, that explains the pain in this illusion. But it can't be real... or is it? This is so fucked up. Next time I see that bastard fox I'm going to skin him for his pelt!_

His thoughts were broken when he heard someone enter the room, and he wasn't alone. Naruto opened his eyes to see an older man in a white coat, his whole appearance screaming 'Doctor.' Behind him however was someone very familiar to Naruto and it only cemented his belief of his delusion. "Old man Hokage?"

The doctor had been about to speak before Naruto had taken the initiative. He looked to the Hokage before nodding and stepping aside, allowing the older ninja in front of him. The Hokage only looked upon the fallen shinobi before finally speaking. "You are a very lucky man."

Naruto only scoffed but said nothing else. What exactly do you say to a dead man who's nothing more than a product of your own delusion anyway?

"The doctors have told me that its nothing short of a miracle that you survived." The Hokage continued, as if he didn't care about the injured man's silence.

"Who says I survived?" Naruto asked rhetorically, looking away from the Hokage and the doctor, already losing interest. "I wonder how long this will last?" He mumbled to himself.

The Hokage seemed amused by his comment, not that Naruto saw the old man's expression. It was a shift in the man's chakra, a slight bubbly feeling. Naruto frowned at that, _Odd I can still sense such things..._ He was sure if he looked back at the old man that he would see the man smiling. "What makes you think that you're dead then?"

"Well, I did use a suicide technique. That and you've been dead for a while after all." He stated it casually, as if it was common for such skills to be used.

He could swore he heard the doctor mumble under his breath, "Explains the damage..."

"Dead? I know I'm old but I'm still among the living young man." The Hokage replied with amusement. He then dismissed the doctor, wanting to continue questioning the young man in private. The Doctor bowed before leaving them alone.

"Pssh. You've been dead for thirteen years old man. Konoha for four." Naruto didn't even bother to look at the man, his gaze settling outside and enjoying the scenery. That caused the old man to frown, trying to decipher the stranger's words.

"And you've been dead for ten Minato." The Hokage said, throwing out some bait. He knew the man wasn't Minato, but he had to confirm a suspicion, especially after seeing the blond's open disrespect to the Hokage title. "Then again, your blood doesn't match his precisely."

Naruto only rolled his head before chuckling lightly, at least light enough to cause himself little pain. "Heh, I've been told I look like my old man but I've never seen it. The whiskers throw it off." He chuckled a little bit more before continuing, "The villagers would have a riot if they knew, eh old man."

That casual statement from the blond caused the blood of the old man to chill. Very few people knew that Namikaze Minato had a child, much less who that child actually was. Not even the fourth's teacher and surrogate father knew of the child. Sarutobi had gone to extreme lengths to eliminate the links between the child and the fourth, knowing that when the time came it would be the child's greatest weapon against those in Konoha who wanted to do him harm.

Especially since the child in question was the container of the Nine-Tails demon fox.

"Who are you?" The third growled out, his eyes narrowing as he now actually noticed said whisker marks, as well as sapphire eyes that were all too familiar.

Naruto only smirked in response. "Come now, Professor. I can't look that different from when I was a kid."

"Impossible. You are obviously delusional young one. Perhaps we should put this off until you have recovered more."

Naruto merely kept up his smirk, although it took on a more sinister edge. "Impossible eh? Nothing is impossible when it comes to dealing with demons old man." He shrugged out his unwrapped arm, ignoring the pain and held it out palm up. "But if you need more proof..." And with those words a familiar rush of chakra surged through the blond's body, traveling from the Celestial Gates through his arm to form a perfect, spinning orb of the purest wind. The Hokage's eyes widened in shock and Naruto only chuckled. "Need any more proof of my heritage old man?"

-/-/-/

Naruto sighed as he finally was allowed to leave the hospital, albeit under heavy escort by a few ANBU. They were trying to hide but the blond's senses were far too acute for them to fully conceal their presence. He only shook his head, still more or less numb from coming to the realization that he wasn't dreaming; that he was really here. The conversations with the Hokage over the last several weeks had more or less convinced him that he wasn't dead, and that by some fluke or miracle he still lived after using his technique.

_Or rather a sadistic demon's whims..._ He thought sourly, reflecting on the Kyubi's final words to him. Shortly after the first conversation with the Hokage, Naruto once again forced himself into his dreamscape, as he had done many times before to deal with the demon. When he reached the sewers that he had come to recognize as Kyubi's domain, he only stared in shock at the empty and broken cage that now resided there. Traces of the demon's chakra still circulated through his system (after all, that wasn't the type of thing that one wouldn't feel after dealing with it for his whole life.) A good portion seemed to have been absorbed directly into the caverns of his dreamscape, and he wasn't sure what he thought of that little discovery.

As unlikely as it seemed, the Nine-tails demon fox; the scourge of Konoha, was gone. And Naruto wasn't exactly sure that it was a good thing. After all, demons just don't disappear.

Much more, a demon who had been bound into being the world's locus point of rage and hate. Locus points don't just vanish; at least not without horrendous catastrophe to follow.

He shook his head, breaking his musings as he took in the sights of a still living Konoha. The sheer number of actual people walking through the village was a sight that calmed him in a way he couldn't describe in words. Men, women, children; civilian and shinobi alike walked down the streets freely. Some laughing, some with arms around each other, others just talking.

_This is real. Konoha still lives... This is all sorts of fucked up._ He shook his head once again, raising one hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, the oppressive heat from the Fire Country air being far more uncomfortable than he remembered. _When was the last time we were actually in Fire Country anyway?_ He mused to himself as he continued on his way towards the Hokage's tower.

At least he was fortunate enough to still have a majority of his gear. When he had awoken in the hospital he had been mostly wrapped in bandages and normal hospital clothing. He had assumed during his stay that his gear had just been too damaged and thrown away. He was pleasantly surprised however when on his last day in the hospital, the familiar female nurse (whose name he still couldn't remember) had returned his clothing, cleaned and mended.

Out of all his gear he only really cared about his forehead protector, his gloves, and his trench-coat anyway. The rest hadn't been salvageable, but Naruto no longer knew if that was due to his insane technique, or simply from wear and tear throughout the last few years. The replacement shirt, pants, and combat boots more than filled the void.

_I'm glad. It would've been a real pain to replace this coat._ He thought to himself as he quickly patted himself down. The coat itself was nothing really all that special. It was a drab brownish color with long sleeves that went down to his knees. What made into useful was the number of pockets ringed around the inside; pockets that had once been filled with numerous scrolls and weapons before he used them up. He did notice that a few cartridges of ink were still present on his left side, as well as a few unique kunai that he had crafted the last time he had been in Mist. The long sleeves hid the marks on his arm; his two trump cards that had saved his ass on more than one occasion. Incredibly potent little weapons against a mastered Sharingan; even one in use by the snake bastard. _Even if they had been a complete bitch to create._

He fingered the final piece of clothing given to him in amusement. The thin cloth mask hid his smirk, realizing that if any of his remnants could see him now they would merely laugh in his resemblance to one of his teachers.

It made sense though, made clearer as he walked closer and closer to his destination. Even with the mask and his hair tied back into its usual horsetail, people on the street still shot him curious looks and whispered to each other under their breath. _Yeah... 'cause we really want them thinking that Yondaime is back and all._ Naruto thought sarcastically.

He finally just shrugged and allowed himself a grin. _Whatever. Not sure what the damn fox's intentions were, but he gave me a chance to right things this time around. I'm living on borrowed time, might as well use it to continue to spite the bastard and prove that things don't need to go the same. _

And with that thought, Uzumaki Naruto smiled.

-/-/-/

Once again, I will be working on this little experiment until I get tired of it. I have some ideas for this Naruto's abilities, and a few will probably be expected while I know for sure that others won't. I think the only problem is that I will end up making Naruto far too powerful, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I've also decided, that since I'm only writing this one for my own amusement, I'm not going to try avoiding using the honorifics. From reading too much manga, I just come to expect those after some of these characters' names.

As for time line purposes, here's the breakdown.

Starting point: Kyubi attack  
Point A: 12 years later: Naruto, part 1 storyline  
2 years after point A: Sound Leaf war goes into full swing.  
Point B: 3 years after point A: Naruto returns from training with Jiraiya.  
Point C: Six years after point B, Konoha falls to Sound. War ends with most of the prominent clans of Konoha being wiped out. Civilians flee to Sand and Stone. Naruto and a small group form the Konoha remnant forces, and wage a sort of guerrilla war against Sound, who is now moving onto to war with Cloud.  
Point D: Four years after point C, This story beings. Naruto is sent back to the time two years prior to point A. As such, Naruto is now roughly 25, rest of the characters ages follow cannon at this point (albeit two years younger due to timeskip).

I'll try to get another chapter out by the end of the week. Until then.


	3. Chapter 2

Here's the next installment. To those who have read my other stuff, you've probably notice that the style of this story ain't exactly up to par with some of the other stuff I've done. Like I said, this is for fun and to get my 'writing groove' back. As such, chapters will probably be relatively shorter when compared to my other stories.

* * *

When he was a child, Naruto often wondered to himself if all adults were idiots. Of course, this was a result of systematic abuse by the villagers as well as typical childish thinking but it also led to what would later become his infamous reputation of being a prankster. A prankster that was surprisingly thorough enough to even catch Jounin level ninjas with said pranks. As he grew older, he learned that adults weren't stupid, they simply thought differently than he was capable of. Ironically, this changed only slightly as he himself grew up but then again, growing up as a ninja does have its effects on the mind. 

Of course, he still considered most of the villagers dumb as hell for thinking he was a demon.

But rarely has this... incapability to grasp the style of thinking that 'normal' people (and this included so-called 'normal' shinobi as well) used left him completely and utterly stumped to the point where he could not respond. Then again, after the war's end he didn't really have much time to get into situations where that could be a problem. Living on the run could do that to someone.

But he couldn't help but stare at the Hokage as if the old man had finally gone senile. "Wanna run that by me again old man?" He asked in disbelief, his voice easily confirming his confusion. The two were in the Hokage's office and the old man was behind his desk, smirking at the blond who was still looking at the 'Professor' as if he was an idiot.

The Hokage merely chuckled. "Think of it as a boon. In a way, you are lucky that its taking place soon. That way we won't need to do formal skill ranking testing on you, if you are as good as you claim to be."

Naruto only shook his head. "I find it hard to believe that any shinobi would agree to participate. Not many ninja that I've met were too keen about possibly giving out their techniques."

The Hokage nodded, swiveling in his chair to look out his window over Konoha. "Understandable, but in the end its good for morale and raises the skill of all those involved. Although there was some tension when the Uchiha clan was still around, that has all since vanished since the massacre." He seemed to pause before adding, "If you're worried about someone stealing your techniques, don't bother. With the exception of the finals, the only people to witness the battle with be myself and the two fighting."

Naruto only shook his head in disbelief, although he held a grin showing his excitement on his face. "I still can't believe that the village hosts one on one fights among the Jounin simply for a bonus to the winner."

Sarutobi merely laughed at the comment before pulling out his pipe and lighting it. "You underestimate the boredom of some of our more... colorful shinobi." He took a few puffs before looking back at the blond out of the corner of his eye. "Besides, this will be the easiest way to integrate you into our ranks due to your... unusual circumstances."

Naruto only frowned at that as he pulled over a chair and leaned against the back of it. "Speaking of which... how do you want to handle that?"

Sarutobi smiled at the thoughtful tone in the young man's voice. _It seems he will turn out far more competent than any of us expected, if he's able to think that far ahead._ "I plan on releasing a file on you into our archives, but will place a level of classification on it that only a few select members of the Council and I can access. Of course, most of that data will be falsified, but it will list you as a retainer of the Sarutobi clan. If pushed on it, you were a member of an internal investigation group that I created upon being reinstated as Hokage that reported only to me. During which, all your personal files were destroyed, as were all the information files on the other members of the division." _Although Elder Danzo might prove to be an issue, especially if Naruto proves to be as strong as he claims. Then again, he was rather overconfident as a child..._

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that. "... do you actually have such a group?"

"Of course not. But for now that will give you enough cover. Work out the rest of your 'history' on your own but I will want a complete report. Our stories will have to match after all."

"And the Council won't see through that? I find that hard to believe."

The older ninja merely scoffed before taking another puff off his pipe. "Your expectations of the council are rather tainted. Most of them are just squabbling fools, more interested in enhancing their own political power than paying attention to anything I do. The ninja on the council will accept my words for the most part, and if they try to dig deeper they will find nothing. You're a black hole after all."

Naruto frowned for a moment, "And what of your son? He might think something is amiss."

"Asuma? He probably will, but he will keep his suspicions to himself. He knows better than to recklessly draw attention to things he's curious about." Sarutobi let out a sigh afterwards, "Besides, he's been more focused on his nephew than anything else."

Naruto scratched his chin, the mask having been removed as soon as the door to the office had closed. _It'll work I suppose. I'll have trouble explaining my sealing techniques. I'll have to make sure to not use any of the stuff that the old pervert taught me. At least not until the time comes anyway._ "How should I explain my abilities?"

The Hokage only chuckled. "And what abilities are those, besides pointing out that my ANBU apparently can't shadow a recovering patient without being detected?"

Naruto sighed. Long ago he would've exictedly spoken of all his skills and how 'awesome' he was. Four years of living on the run, and being responsible for the remnant faction that he led had beaten what childish arrogance he had out of him. "My specialties lie in sealing and ninjutsu techniques. Ninjutsu of choice tend to be of the water, lighting, and wind type. My taijutsu isn't bad, but I'm pretty sure that Gai could still slam me around like a rag-doll if he opened his gates." He frowned for a moment before adding, "I've also mastered a few of Namikaze Minato's techniques with the help of Jiraiya." There was a long pause at this, during which Naruto ignored the speculative look on the elder ninja's face. "Although..."

The old man regained himself over the shock of the blond casually mentioning he could use the techniques of the Forth Hokage, placing his pipe down on the desk before turning back to the blond. "Go on."

Naruto shrugged. "Without more time to really experiment, I don't know what side affects my trip here had on me. I already know a few, but I couldn't really test their limits in the hospital without drawing more suspicion than I already was. More specifically, the manipulation of the demon's chakra and my healing factor."

The old man raised an eyebrow at that. "You were able to tame the nine-tails?"

Naruto scoffed. "I would never be as arrogant as to claim I could control one of the tailed beasts. However, I did tweak my seal a bit to allow me to siphon off bits of his chakra without requesting it from the prick."

The Hokage sighed. "Either way, you have one week before your first match. I'll send someone for you on that day. I assume you need money to secure a place to live and restock your equipment?"

The blond rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Um, yeah. If its not an issue I mean."

The Hokage nodded before opening one of his drawers to his desk and withdrawing a large envelope. He had been expecting such an answer and handed the envelope to the blond. "This should be more than enough for one month's food, clothing, and other supplies. The key to the apartment is in there as well. Just so you know, you'll be living near... um, yourself." Sarutobi frowned for a moment, _Is it wise to place Naruto near, well, Naruto? I imagine that would be an interesting meeting..._

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that. "That place? So the building will have two tenants now instead of just... well, me?

"The first month is paid for. You're free to move into another apartment whenever you wish but you will be paying it from then on."

"Meaning I'll be given missions soon, I imagine."

"Of course."

Naruto took the envelope and nodded. "Much appreciated Hokage-sama. Don't worry, I'll make myself worth your while." _Especially in a few years when I can end the war before it begins._

The Hokage nodded before saying, "Now Naru-"

Naruto cut him off before Sarutobi could finish. "You probably shouldn't call me that. It's an absurdly uncommon name, and with my likeness already resembling both the forth and... well, myself, it could lead to many difficult questions."

The Hokage looked at Naruto with an expression that the blond couldn't decipher. It almost looked like pity but Naruto couldn't imagine why. "You would throw away your name?"

Naruto shrugged. "Names are merely things that other people give you. Besides, I haven't been called anything other than boss, idiot, or fox in the last four years."

Sarutobi sighed at that. He hadn't been able to pry all of Naruto's story out of him, but he somehow knew that he didn't want to know all of it. _It still sounds outlandish, but him actually being able to perform the forth's prize technique makes me want to believe him. Time will tell I suppose... _"I see... Then as I have no name to give you, your code name will be 'Nanashi'. If questioned on it, claim that you no longer remember your real name. It will fit in with the rest of your falsified backstory.."

Naruto only quirked an eyebrow and grin at the old man. "No name, eh? Teacher of the writer of the award winning Icha Icha Paradise series and you couldn't come up with anything better than that?" Ignoring the surprise stutters of the old man, the newly christened Nanashi stood up with a hint of amusement as he pulled the cloth mask that had been sitting on the Hokage's desk back on. "Maaa, whatever works I suppose. I'll see you in a week then Hokage-sama."

Calming down from his embarrassment, the Hokage merely nodded with a thin grin. "I look forward to your first fight Nanashi."

Nanashi only gave Sarutobi a shit-eating grin that looked eerily like one of Kakashi's crescent eye smiles. "I guaran-damn-tee you'll find it entertaining."

-/-/-/

He was surprised when he left the Hokage's tower and saw the setting sun. _Wow, we were in there for a long time._ He shrugged mentally before continuing towards his new residence, taking in the sights of a Konoha he had not seen a long time. The streets were starting to empty, families heading in for dinner and shop owners closing up their stands as the blond passed. He couldn't help but smile as passed a few bars, the crowds inside starting to grow as the night came closer and closer. He momentarily halted as the thought of getting a good strong drink seeped into his thoughts before shaking his head and continuing on. "Always time for that later. It's going to be a pain to stock up on gear tomorrow."

It was only then that his stomach decided to make itself known. Rather loudly at that, causing one of the other people walking down the same street as him to look at him curiously. He only shook his head, a light grin coming to his face. _No time to get groceries tonight. That means eating out, and there's only one place I can think of where I want to eat._

He only grinned as he turned his head down the road to his right, a familiar sight and smell greeting him in the distance. He had to fight the urge to run like a little kid towards the only restaurant that had served him as a child. Instead he tried to decide mentally what kind of ramen he was going to have, a child-like smile on his face beneath the cloth mask.

It only took him a few minutes to get to the familiar place and he smiled beneath his mask as he brushed the curtain. He was greeted with a voice he thought he had long since forgotten, "Welcome to Ichiraku's! What can we get you sir?" The voice of old man Ichiraku was music to the blond's ears. He was about to belt out his order when the sight of the ramen bar's seating caused his voice to lock up, his voice growing tight.

Sitting at the stools, happily eating their meal was one pair. The only on the right was of medium build, obviously a shinobi by his physique, a Chunnin by the vest he wore. His hair was pulled back into an organized ponytail and one could easily see that he wore his symbol of the Leaf on his forehead by the positioning of the straps. Not that Nanashi could see the man's face. Then again, he knew the man well enough that he didn't even need to.

"Sensei...?" The words escaped his mouth before he even realized it and immediately cursed his mistake. _You've only been out of the hospital for a day and you're already screwing this up. Nice one idiot!_

Iruka, for there's no way Nanashi could mistake someone for the first person to truly acknowledge him, rotated in his chair to look over his should at him. There was no recognition in the man's kind eyes, but rather a small bit of confusion. "I beg your pardon?"

Nanashi was about to respond when another voice, this one far younger if the pitch was to say anything, spoke up. "Iruka-sensei, you know this guy?"

He couldn't help it. He knew he shouldn't. He knew that if he had been on any other convert mission that he could've avoided staring. It wasn't good to look at your target as if there were something unusual. It made them jumpy and more wary of your presence. So when he found himself staring at his past self, and after a few moments that must've been minutes from the expression on Iruka's face when he stopped, he almost stopped breathing.

-/-/-/

"Are you alright?" Iruka asked hesitantly, not sure what to make of the man. He was obviously a fellow leaf ninja, but Iruka didn't recognize him at all. _Then again, I am at the academy all the time. _Whenthe man's eyes had locked on his student however, it caused Iruka to tense slightly.

It had taken the academy teacher a long time to get over his unease around the vessel of the nine tails. It had been a long and painful process in order to get the child to open up to him (both on his patience as a teacher, and his wallet for that matter.) He knew that the boy was simply that, a boy who was hated by the village for a stupid reason. But he was not foolish enough to believe that everyone felt the same way.

The man who seemed his age calling him 'sensei' was enough for the Chunnin to raise an eyebrow. What really interested him though was the way the blond man seemed to freeze up as his eyes laid on his student. Iruka's hand had gone to his kunai holster, just in case, but it seemed that the man was locked within his own thoughts as he simply stared at young Uzumaki Naruto.

Despite the stare, even Iruka could see that there was no malice in that expression. Only confusion, shock... and a bit of grief? Iruka didn't let himself frown at the realization. _He probably lost someone to the demon._

Finally the man seemed to snap out of whatever trance he had been in. He looked between Iruka and the child before mumbling, "Sorry. Thought you were someone else there."

"Right..." Iruka said calmly, obviously not believing the man. Something was deeply wrong with this picture. It only hoped he could figure out what, at least if the man was planning something. He turned back to his meal with his student, though he kept an eye on the newcomer while Naruto continued to babble on about some prank he had pulled the other day. The newcomer took a seat a stool away from Iruka and ordered two bowls, one miso and one beef. Iruka could sense no ill-will from the newcomer, but rather an odd sense of melancholy. As if the stranger was both happy and sad at the same time.

Iruka tried to subtly watch the man but it was only when Naruto spoke up that he realized that he was doing a horrible job of it. _Really, if the dead last in the academy can tell what I'm doing then it means I've really been slipping since leaving active duty._ "Ano... Iruka-sensei, do you know him?"

Iruka fought to not wince at his student's overly loud voice. "Naruto, show some manners!"

He only winced when Naruto gave him a blank stare. "You were the one staring at him sensei."

Iruka's concentration was brought back to the other customer when he heard the man's chuckle. "He'll never let you live that down either, Umino-san."

"Have we met?" Iruka finally asked, now just wanting to get his inquiries over with. Luckily the man had opened up a logical way for him to approach him.

The older blond merely sighed before rubbing the back of his head. "Not personally. I heard about your antics during the academy though. And Hokage-sama speaks highly of you. Thinks you're the best teacher in the academy."

Iruka scowled a bit at that, though mostly because of the blush that threatened to cover his face. He did not like it when people brought his status as an ex-troublemaker. He didn't want to set a bad example for his students after all. "Ah, I see..."

The blond seemed to grin beneath his mask. "Heh, I'm guessing from that look that it wasn't exactly what you were looking for." Seeing the man's demeanor, Iruka paled as the man grinned at Naruto. "Hey kid, you want to hear about some good pranks, you should ask your teacher there. You could be learning about pranking from the best."

"You never told me you were good at pranks sensei!" The younger blond accused, his face twisting into a pout that had Iruka trembling in discomfort. He spent the next few minutes trying to explain that 'no, he wasn't a good prankster' and 'you shouldn't do it either' to notice when the older blond quickly ate his two bowls, his face exposed for a short time, before pulling the mask back up. He also didn't notice when the blond dropped his money and walked out, casting an amused glance towards the two customers still inside.

* * *

So thats it for this installment. The idea of the one on one fights is taken from a couple of different places, and not to mention I wanted to get to something interesting soon. In a way, it makes sense as its a quick way for the upper ranks to see if Nanashi (as I will continue to call him for the remainder of this story, as he will interact with Naruto later on, and that's just a headache waiting to happen if I don't get started with getting people used to it) is as skilled as he claims. The idea is that Konoha holds it every year or so in order to keep the overall skill of its shinobi raising higher. I threw in the part about the bonus as I can see that many wouldn't bother to participate due to the possibility of their techniques being stolen. Then again, there are those who think themselves too 'high class' to take part. As such, you will not see or hear about any Hyuga clan members in this little tournament. Plan on flushing it out a bit more in the next section. Hope you enjoyed this addition. 

Next chapter, we start showing off a bit of Nanashi's skills. I'll admit this now, any chapter with a fight in it will probably be longer since I'm horrible at keeping those things short.


	4. Chapter 3

One could always tell when something noteworthy was taking place in the village. The air changed, became far more alive than normal. The wind shifted, as if whispering its excitement of the upcoming events that would provide loads of entertainment for those with the patience to wait. The village as a whole would ease up a bit, the ever-present tension of living in a shinobi village momentarily lightening for a short time. The civilians may not notice these things, but for anyone who had been trained in the shinobi lifestyle, it was not something that even the most inept of genin could ignore. 

It happened around the time of every Chunnin and Jounin exam that Konoha hosted, or at least around the final stages of the Chunnin exam. The unusually exciting fights were often plenty of entertainment for the shinobi and villagers alike, and although no one liked to admit it, a prime source of gambling and money making. It was one of the reasons the exams were open to the public after all; why not let someone make a little cash off of the Genin. Most of the fights end up being far too straightforward for a shinobi battle anyway; as per the usual Genin standards.

However, the yearly 'Jounin Fights' as the shinobi came to call them, were not open to the public. In fact, no one short of the Jounin rank knew they took place, although to be fair no one asked about them either. It's not like it was classified information, but most Jounin could care less about bragging about winning their fights. It was merely another training exercise to them; another spar to maintain their skills.

Though it would be a lie to say that there was no anticipation when it came to the finals.

Hatake Kakashi was many things to many people. The son of a legendary ninja who disgraced himself by committing suicide after a botched mission, the prodigy student of the forth who made Chunnin by the age of six, the imposing Copy-Ninja who was feared by Konoha's enemies as the man who stole over 1000 techniques, former Anbu and overall one of Konoha's strongest living Jounin. Infamous for his open enjoyment of the perverted series written by the Sannin Jiraiya, as well as his horrible paperwork and tardiness for missions. He was not a man who typically took part in the yearly Jounin fights, as he held no interest in showing off his skills, nor did he have any desire to use the chance to pick up a few new ones using his Sharingan eye. Nor was he a gambler who wanted to test his luck on the abilities of peers.

For all these reasons, he found himself somewhat interested as he entered the stadium where the finals for the fights would take place. He had even participated in the fights this year, mostly as a personal favor to the Sandaime.

-/-/-/

"I don't do those fights. They're pointless." Kakashi reiterated his view, not even bothering to look up from his copy of Icha Icha Paradise. He was in the Hokage's office and the old man had just asked him to participate in the Jounin fights this year. Well, perhaps 'ask' wasn't the correct term, more like 'tried to persuade'. He didn't take long to shoot the idea down, nor did he use any tact in doing so.

It was fine, the Hokage knew him well enough that the man knew that Kakashi meant no harm.

The Hokage only sighed, once again looking at one of his most successful shinobi. "I will admit, I have an ulterior motive for wanting you to fight." Seeing Kakashi's uncovered eye look up in slight interest, the Hokage pushed a piece of paper forward on his desk towards the copy-nin. Kakashi waited for a moment before his curiosity got the better of him and he pocketed his book before picking the paper up. He read it over before looking back to the Hokage. "Interesting proposed line up in that one bracket's path."

"Noticed it, did you?" The Hokage asked, a wry smirk on his lips.

"It rather unbalances the rest of the tournament you realize."

"Perhaps, but direct you attention to entrant number twenty-nine."

Kakashi re-examined the paper before drawing his conclusion. "So who is he, an ANBU you want tested?"

The Hokage apparently couldn't hold back a chuckle at that. "Something like that. He has been undercover for a long time and I decided to re-activate him. He claims to be at Jounin level but since he rarely has the chance to push himself in open combat, I thought this would be an interesting way to see if his bite is as good as his bark."

Kakashi nodded, his mind already running down the opponents the man who have to fight to actually just make it through his first three fights. Kakashi wasn't a gambler, but he recognized most of the names here, and knew they were damn good. And he had to admit, the Hokage's words had peaked his interest. "Alright."

_Famous last words._

-/-/-/

He snapped back to the present as he entered the seating grounds for the audience in the giant coliseum. Attendance was broken into scattered groups, certain comrades talking to each other in anticipation of what the outcome of the final fight would be. People discussing odds and information about the remaining finalists; from what Kakashi could overhear, almost no one had any info on the newcomer, short of those who had already fought him and they could only speak about the way the man fought.

Kakashi was one of those people and he found himself drifting towards a few Jounin and Special Jounin that he knew the blond had fought against. They were seated quietly, waiting for the contestants to arrive and Kakashi took his place next to one Morino Ibiki without a word. The head of Torture and Interrogation nodded to accept the man's presence before turning his eyes back to the stadium grounds. Finally after a long silence, Kakashi spoke. "Have you ever heard of him?"

Kakashi didn't need to clarify, Ibiki knew damn well who the copy-nin was talking about. "No, and that is... troubling."

Kakashi nodded. "It seems that Hokage-sama expected his abilities to be at such a level. It's why he set the brackets up the way he did."

"Seems over the top for a simple test." Ibiki mildly commented, his voice that dry gravely sound that unconsciously put everyone's alert up. _Perfect voice for his position _Kakashi idly thought. Ibiki then turned his eye on the copy-nin and commented, "I heard he defeated you rather quickly. That is... unexpected."

Kakashi nodded, although embarrassed slightly by the fact. He quickly crushed that feeling, knowing that Ibiki hadn't been mocking him; he had simply been stating facts. "He seems to focus on Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. He didn't use any genjutsu in my match at all actually."

Ibiki nodded. "He seems immune to genjutsu as well. I hit him with some of my more powerful contact illusions and he shrugged them off like flies." Kakashi couldn't help but look up at his counterpart at THAT little tidbit of information. While typically Morinos were skilled in all three aspects of shinobi, their true calling was in psychological and physical torture. The clan was a younger one, relatively unknown to the general residents of Konoha, but they had some damn powerful genjutsu techniques that were often implied to get information out of captives. These techniques were unique in themselves, as they required the user to physically touch the victim for them to occur. Once induced into the illusion however, the normal dispelling techniques didn't work. And Morino clan genjutsu was notoriously... unpleasant to say the least.

Neither man made motion when another walked up to stop next to them. Neither looked up, his chakra signature was distinctive enough, even without the lingering scent of the cigarettes he smoked. "I heard you two fought the new guy that Hokage-sama has been keeping an eye on." The two finally looked over at the newcomer as he took a drag off his cigarette, "I heard the rumors about him from the others he fought, but he seems pretty hardcore."

Kakashi nodded. "What else have you heard?" Kakashi wasn't usually interested in the skills of his fellow Leaf shinobi, but he had to admit after the Sandaime's machinations for who the blond was fighting, and him losing to the unknown, caused him to be more than a little interested.

"Eh, nothing concrete. Apparently Ibiki-san is correct though. Suppoedly he let it slip during his fight with Raido that he is immune to most genjutsu. Some sort of seal on his body that prevents foreign chakra from manipulating his chakra flow." Asuma then looked up to Kakashi with a raised eyebrow. "I find it very hard that you were defeated though. You are one of the top Jounin here."

Kakashi only shook his head as he remembered the fight, albeit a brief one, that once again proved to him that he tended to underestimate people. A bad habit for a shinobi, to be sure.

-/-/-/

_Despite the warnings that the Hokage had given Kakashi, he didn't really know what to think of the masked blonde standing before him. He was a little taller than average and seemed to move with the grace of a street brawler. Whether it was an act or not was yet to be seen, but Kakashi only narrowed his eyes when he saw a familiar shade of blue in the man's eyes. Taking everything into account, the blone looked disturbingly like Minato-sensei. And for some reason that irritated Kakashi._

_The man himself seemed to be measuring up Kakashi in the same way. Those eyes, those frightening familiar eyes, seem to light up in both sadness and glee as he met Kakashi's stare. As if glad to see him, yet deeper memories troubling him at Kakashi's presence._

_Kakashi averted his eyes the the Hokage as the older man gave the usual speech before the fight began. Finally, he let out, "Hatake Kakashi Vs Nanashi, begin!"_

_Kakashi's eye had already locked onto his target before the man finished speaking. _Watch and wait,_ was what ran through his head. Even without Obito's final gift, he was an expert in observing people and that extended to fighting styles. As soon as the words finished, the blonde's stance and entire manner seemed to shift so drastically that it actually took Kakashi off-guard. Before when he had detected no sense of grace or balance, or rather one comparable to a drunken bar brawler, now there was a sort of icy calm and crispness as the watched Kakashi intently. The blonde's hands were at his sides, as if he had no need to get into any sort of defensive stance. That in itself intrigued Kakashi. _

_If the man was truly ex-ANBU, then Kakashi knew the man wouldn't be arrogant enough to drop his guard around an opponent, especially one of Kakashi's caliber. _What's your game...

_To this day, he still thinks that he didn't blink but later he came to the conclusion that he must have. It was the only possible explanation for the fist that suddenly materialized to the right side of Kakashi's face. He reacted instinctively, pulling his head back a bit as the fist, now attached to the left arm of his opponent whizzed in front of his face, almost catching the tip of his nose. _Fast..._ Kakashi thought idly, as he raised his guard to block the follow-up thrust kick his opponent had lashed out with, not even bothering to correct his stance from the missed punch. Kakashi let the blow push him back, gathering some distance as he observed his opponent._

Seems like an odd blend of Ox-Horse styles..._ He mused on the opponent's taijutsu with interest as he once again found himself blocking and dodging the blows. While the speed was a little more than Kakashi was expecting, it wasn't enough for him to be too worried, at least for the moment. He did train occasionally with Maito Gai after all. As such, it didn't take long for Kakashi to capitalize on the opening that the blond had after deflecting a nerve-strike aimed the spot near his left hip. The retaliatory counter struck true, impacting directly underneath the blond's chin, sending the blond's head snapping back with an audible crack._

_It was only a momentary reprieve as the blond's head snapped back forward, delivering a brutal head-butt to Kakashi's forehead. Forehead protectors met in a loud clang as the metal impacted against each other, but Kakashi reeled from the blow, allowing some chakra back to his feet to allow him to slide back a bit. It didn't taken long for the cycloptic Jounin to recover and begin reaching to reveal his trump card, but was surprised as a hand grabbed his before he could slide it up. A second Nanashi was grabbing the Jounin's hand from behind, a smirk on his lips that could be easily seen through the cloth mask that covered his face. "Can't have that Copycat. I've never been a fan of those eyes."_

When did he make the clone? A Shadow clone at that? That skill is forbidden! _Kakashi didn't bother to respond to the taunt, and in an instant a kunai had been pulled from his pouch and shoved into the clone's face. The clone released its grip on his hand and fell back with a horrible gurgling sound before disappearing in a poof of smoke. "Good timing with the replication. However, it seems you can't control them very well." Kakashi commented as he slid the forehead protector up, revealing his Sharingan eye, already spinning ominously. _

_Nanashi only smirked, "Perhaps. But it easily could've killed you right then if I wanted it to."_

_"Oh, then why didn't you at least bring a blade to my throat?"_

_"Because this is old man Hokage's test for me. Simply tricking you with a kinjutsu isn't really passing, now is it?" Kakashi narrowed his eyes, already waiting for the next move and kept his mouth shut. The blonde seemed to realize that he wouldn't get anymore conversation out of him and simply nodded, as if agreeing with the Jounin's close-mouthedness. Without so much as a single seal, two more replications popped into existence next to their master before the blonde stated, "Now let's see how strong that eye of yours really is?"_

_The three blondes closed in on him in a fast-paced melee, the blonde's taijutsu technique showing considerable improvement from the first time he attacked Kakashi. Kakashi couldn't help but be a little impressed with this unknown's skill. But the Sharingan and its owner lived up to his own reputation, as the Jounin easily deflected the blows from the two replications without too much trouble, but he found himself not able to keep an eye on the true opponent. It didn't seem to matter much as the real Nanashi seemed quite content to simply sit out and watch as Kakashi systematically delivered a pair of blows to each clone when they left openings._

_Kakashi frowned at the arrogance that the blonde seemed to be exuding as his clones were destroyed. _Perhaps he has a reason to. That technique is forbidden for a damn good reason, and if he can use it so easily, without handseals even, then perhaps he's being underestimated as well. _"You actually going to fight now?" Perhaps it was time to stop testing his opponent and starting fighting._

_Nanashi shrugged. "I was about to ask you the same thing. Aren't you supposed to be the master of 1000 techniques?" He then seemed to chuckle. "Either way, its now over." And with that declaration, the blonde withdrew a kunai, slashed his own hand before going into a series of seals. Kakashi instantly reacted, duplicating the same hand seals and chakra flow but to his surprise it wasn't an ninjutsu attack as he suspected. No, instead the blonde slammed his blood-soaked hands into the ground and said, "Earthen Vampire Seal." _

_Kakashi only had a moment to flinch in realization before the ground surrounding him shifted as if made of sand before thin beams of blue chakra energy shot forth from beneath him. He only had time to give the blonde a shocked look before the foreign energy drained his chakra reserves until he blacked out._

-/-/-/

Kakashi's mind snapped back to the present as he realized the other Jounin had begun to quiet down. He gave a quick look around to see that the others were staring at him and came to the realization that they were expecting some sort of response. So he gave them one: He pulled out his precious copy of Jiraiya-sama's artistic masterpiece and began reading from where he had left out, dutifully ignoring the looks of annoyance and irritation on the faces of his peers.

And although a small portion of his mind was locking on the absolutely _'intriguing'_ tale of an injured Mist Ninja named Taro and a pair of busty black-haired nurses, the rest of his mind was thinking back to the seal that had taken him out of that fight before even landing a solid attack of his own on the blonde. _I've heard of that seal before, but if I remember correctly it requires quite of preparation beforehand. The Earthen Vampire drains the chakra of anyone caught within itself within moments. It also scrambles the chakra flow of the victim to prevent them from escaping before it can finish. But I know there is a third component besides the hand seals and the blood to activate. How did he get me with it without the markings and sealing scripts?_

Although thoroughly annoyed with himself for losing so easily, he could now see why the Hokage was so interested in gauging this _Nanashi_'s skills. _We haven't had a master of Sealing Techniques since Minato-sensei's death. Even Jiraiya-sama couldn't hold a candle to Sensei when it came to esoteric seals. _With the blonde's relatively good taijutsu and mastery of a kinjutsu like the shadow replication skill alone would make him into a force to be reckoned with, and Kakashi had the sneaking suspicion that the blonde fighter was more of a ninjutsu type than anything else. He finally spoke out loud, tossing a little information out to his fellows (perhaps as a peace-offering after blowing them off earlier?) "He knows at least one kinjutsu, and can use it without any visible impairments."

Asuma turned back to his one-eyed associate with an interested gleam in his eye. "Oh?"

Ibiki nodded at that. "I don't know who the kid is but I'm very interested in how he learned that replication skill." He didn't elaborate, but perhaps it wasn't required. "Even more interested to see that he can use it regularly as if it was the version that a green genin would use."

Kakashi nodded at that. "From what I understand, its supposed to split the chakra evenly. For him to use it like he does... he must have a pretty strong well of chakra to draw from."

Ibiki only shrugged, scratching his forehead protector. "He'll need more than that for this one. I'm going to enjoy this fight; I almost never get to see 'her' fight anymore."

Asuma looked up before dropping his cigarette on the ground and mashing it out with his sandal. "Who's he fighting anyway?"

Kakashi answered, as the disturbingly pleased look on Ibiki's face was enough to unsettle anyone. "The apprentice of the Snake Master. Special Jounin Mitarashi Anko."

Ibiki couldn't help but chuckle that low gravely laugh that sent shivers down both Asuma and Kakashi's spines. "This will be good. She hasn't been set loose for any significant missions in a while. She's going to tear him apart."

"Never worked with her before... Special Jounin, eh? What does she specialize in?" Asuma asked, playing with his now empty box of smokes. He frowned a little before putting it back in his combat vest.

Kakashi frowned for a moment before saying, "Assassinations... psychological warfare in battle, and complete and utter brutality. The truth of the matter is that she excels in all three aspects of shinobi techniques, but is incredibly reckless and sadistic. The guy she fought in her Jounin examination was in the hospital for months afterwards, having to eat mostly through a straw."

"It looks like they're here. Shut up already Hatake." Ibiki growled out, his eyes lighting up with sadistic glee of what was to come. Kakashi could only wonder to himself if the head of Torture and Interrogation was feeling a _bit_ vindictive. _A nice guy like Morino Ibiki feeling bitter over a single loss? Never!_

For some reason, Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle at that.

-/-/-/

_For a group that supposedly prides itself on not being being interested in their fellow shinobi, they can certainly clam up quickly._ Sarutobi chuckled to himself at the thought. He tossed a brief look over his shoulders at the two following him as he led them into the center of the area. Nanashi didn't seem all that phased by the number of Jounin watching him. He had his hands locked behind his head and seemed to be staring off into the distance, obviously thinking about something. His counterpart on the other hand was practically _giddy_ with restrained excitement. Sarutobi couldn't help but chuckle at the savage grin that Mitarashi Anko kept flashing towards her opponent, and the subsequent frowns that would result due to his ignoring her. The kunochi had always thrived on intimidating her opponents, even well before she had ever met her infamous sensei.

Once the trio reached the center of the arena, the Hokage watched as the two separated and faced-off against each other. They both looked at him for the order, Nanashi looking rather bored, Anko impatient. He nodded at them before asking, "Are you ready?"

Anko merely pulled out a kunai from the insides of her coat, already running her tongue along its blade with a decidedly disturbing light in her eyes as she stared at her opponent. "Anytime old man."

Nanashi only looked at her with a raised eyebrow before he looked back to the Hokage, "Surprising turnout, eh Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi only chuckled at the calm, almost bored tone of voice that exited the blonde's mouth. He chuckled even more at the repressed irritation in the kunochi's eyes at the words, coming to the realization that Nanashi was already baiting her. _Though I wonder if that is a wise move against her..._ He shook the thought away before addressing the crowd in a loud commanding voice. "Fellow Jounin, you are gathered here to watch the culmination match of this year's Jounin Fights. This is a no holds barred elimination match with no time limit. The fight will continue until one fighter loses consciousness, or I deem that the fight has gone far enough."

"Final fight: Special Jounin Mitarashi Anko versus Special Jounin Nanashi. Begin!" He yelled out, swinging his arm down to signal the start of the fight before vanishing from the arena grounds.

From the box seat where he rematerialized from the transport technique, the Hokage merely smirked as it began. _This will be one for the record books._

-/-/-/

When he was walking to the arena grounds with his opponent earlier, Nanashi had tossed her an interested glance for a moment. He had never worked with Anko... in the future... In fact, his only real contact with her had been his first Chunnin examination where she had cut his boasting down to size rather quickly, albeit with sadistic pleasure. He still shivered internally at that memory now that he thought about it but forced himself to not show any weakness to the woman. She was still a Jounin after all, and unlike his other opponents where he either knew them intimately, or at least that they posed no real threat, he was undecided about her.

Oh, he knew that she was Orochimaru's apprentice alright. Even if he didn't, he could practically smell the snake scent rolling off her in waves. But that was pretty much all he knew, at least tactically. Her behavior in Konoha was about as well-known as his (surprisingly), but he knew nothing about her actual combat style. She had been killed in the opening years of the war by a curse seal wearing wacko, so he had never even seen her fight.

_Okay, let's review then... Orochimaru's apprentice, so probably a ninjutsu specialist, and knowing that bastard, probably an expert in snake-form taijutsu._ It was pretty much all he could estimate but it then hit him that he shouldn't worry too badly. After all, it would be like fighting the snake before the bastard had taken the Uchiha's body. Even without access to the now rapidly fading stores of Demonic Chakra in his body, Nanashi was sure he could take her.

Especially if she was _this_ easy to throw off. He could tell that she kept shooting him glares that were meant to intimidate or provoke, and in doing so revealed a part of her own strategy against him. _She worked with scarface in T&I didn't she? Probably has a decent handle on psychological warfare then._ Thus, the easy conclusion was to simply ignore her and watch her work herself into a frenzy. _Heh, kinda like me when I was a kid._

As they entered the arena he noticed that it was packed with what looked to be all Jounin still in Konoha at that moment. He let his eyes glance over familiar faces and some not so familiar faces, letting out a small smirk as his eyes passed over his prior opponents. _Man, I still can't believe Kakashi-sensei let me take him down that easily. Then again, he's probably still wondering how I pulled that seal off. Ah the joys of burrowing clones..._

He didn't listen to the old man was he gave his little speech. He was never a big fan of fancy words, and this wasn't anything serious. If there was anything he learned since Konoha's fall, it was that words meant nothing unless you chose to make them mean something. Sarutobi had already assured him that he had proven that he deserved the rank he claimed to hold in the future, but he might as well enjoy the first chance that he's had for friendly spars in what seems like ages. As the Hokage gave the order to begin, Nanashi braced himself for the dark-haired Kunochi's charge that was sure to be coming, but found himself dodging instead as a hailstorm of kunai rained down on his position. He quickly dove to the side, rolling out of the way and coming to his feet in a defensive stance. He noticed with idly interest as most of the kunai vanished after hitting the ground, leaving only one stuck in the impact zone. _Kunai Shadow Replications, eh? Big move right off the bat. Well, I might as well meet her raise._ He quickly formed a familiar single hand seal before saying, "Shadow Replication Skill."

He watched her, his eyes now more considering of this kunochi he did not know anything about. She didn't seem all that surprised by his sudden use of a kinjutsu, but then again she had just used one of her own. If anything, she looked even more pumped to see his four clones pop into existence, forming a defensive grid around him. He felt his own smirk widening to a mad grin before he said, "Go nuts guys."

-/-/-/

Asuma only watched in interest as the fight opened up with an attack from the kunochi. He had never fought or worked with either of the two down in the arena before, so he was quite interested to see what the apprentice of one of the Legendary Three could do, as well as the skills of the shinobi that no one in Konoha seemed to know about. He took a brief glance at his one-eyed friend out of the corner of his eye to see that despite Kakashi's position of seeming not to care, the man did have his Sharingan revealed, as already worried about missing a key move in this Jounin shogi match. Asuma only chuckled to himself as he watched the blonde respond to Anko's first attack by forming a group of his own clones, ready to attack.

The kunochi seemd almost... pleased by his use of the technique, a visible shiver traveling down her body as she set herself into an odd taijutsu stance that Asuma had never seen before. _A varient of Snake? Or Dragon perhaps?_ "What taijutsu style does she use? I've never seen a stance like that before."

Kakashi remained silent, his focus completely on the match as the Nanashi clones charged forward. Ibiki was the one who answered him though, as if excited about what he was about to see. "Its her own varient on what the traitor taught her. She never gave it a name but if I had to describe it, I'd call it... "

-/-/-/

Anko only smirked as the blonde took her bait. _Heh, for all the talk that's been going 'round 'bout the shitstain, thats all he is._ She let them close in on her, two from the front, the other two circling around to try and attack from behind. Her smirk began a wide grin as she launched herself forward, the ground beneath her feet trembling enough to leave deep imprints from her boots as she cycled chakra through her feet for an extra boost. In an instant she was already on the first clone, her right hand lashing out for a brutal arm thrust that caught the clone directly through the left eye, causing the clone to pop out of existence immediately.

Without even seemingly to take notice of her surroundings, she leaned forward at the waist so deeply it looked as if she had no spine for a second, dodging a blow from the other clone to her right. She allowed herself to bring her right foot up over her body from behind, enough force in the blow to drive it straight into the underside of the jaw of one of the clones behind her before straightening up and leaping into a backward flip over the low sweep the remaining rear clone had tried to trip her up with. She only grinned during the jump, the adreneline already empowering her and drawing her in the mindset she loved during a fight. _Push yourself to the damn limits and enjoy breaking them damn it!_ Before she had even reached the apex of her jump, her hand lashed out and grabbed the face of the remaining rear clone in an iron-clad grip.

A little flexibility here, a little chakra manipulation of her muscles there, and she turned her jump that had originally just been a showy dodge until a brutal attack, twisting in such a way during her backwards flip that instead of landing on her feet, she instead landed on the corpse of the rear clone using her hand, having already driven the replication's face into the ground hard enough to leave a small impact crater. She quickly recovered via a push of the hand on the ground to flip up onto her feet, already bringing her other hand up to block the strike from the sole-remaining clone. Before the clone did anything else, she quickly locked one of her feet behind his, as well as turning her block into an one-handed grapple. It wouldn't take long for anyone to escape from such a weak hold, but it was all the time she needed as she drove a brutal head-butt directly into the clone's face, finally sending the last of the summon replications back from whence they came.

She only looked back to the blonde who was standing there with an expression that she couldn't recognize before saying, "That can't be all you got nameless wonder. It's time to prove to me you've got a sac down there shitstain!"

-/-/-/

"... unorganized murderous winning style." Ibiki finished, a horrid grin on his face as he watched his colleague from Torture and Interrogation shout out her taunt.

"Holy shit." Asuma rasped out, and something in his voice made Kakashi think that he would've dropped his cigarette if he had been smoking one. Kakashi said nothing, only allowed his borrowed eye to continue watching. _Show me what two Special Jounins of the Leaf can do._

-/-/-/

Nanashi only watched in interest as the kunochi took down his clones with near-terrifying ease. It was like watching a horrific and brutal dance for the ten seconds it had lasted. When he heard her call out her challenge, that grin of hers looked so god damn familiar and it took him a moment to realize where he had seen it before.

On his own face. Years before Konoha's fall. The expression of wanting a challenge to overcome, a chance to show off how good he really was.

That's all it took. All doubt and worries were tossed aside as his face lit into a manical grin beneath his mask that no doubt matched that of his opponent. He set himself into his attack stance, cracking his neck to the side once, as well as tightening both fists, allowing each finger to crack slowly as he did so. _Oh, this is gonna be fun..._

"Let's go wild lady!"

* * *

I know I promised a long fight, but I decided to save that for the next chapter. I like writing Anko, so I plan on having some fun with her in this story, as she'll probably become one of the main characters. For now, I just wanted to get a handle on some of the other characters' reactions to Nanashi, and it will later lead into tension with his ex-teachers who don't realize that they are his teachers. 

I may also rethink my idea of trying to use translated technique names. It just sounds weird when proof-reading.


	5. Chapter 4

Here's the fight I promised to be in the last chapter but didn't get around to finishing it. Sorry for the delay, but life has this funny way of getting in the way of my hobbies. Probably not as long as some of you might have been suspecting either but I think it does the job.

To answer some questions/comments:

Shuujaku - All the fights with the exception of the finals (which is Nanashi vs Anko) were only watched over by the Hokage. However, the brackets themselves were open and the Jounins who participated are obviously willing to discuss the competition.

Dameus - Yeah, yeah I know. Thanks for having such interest in my stuff. I actually got side tracked rewriting the next portion of Clans that I had going before my computer died. I'm actually going to try and finish that up sometime before this weekend if I get the chance. Looking forward to hearing your opinions on it once I get it out.

PlAySw/Fire - Wow. A fan from my Zelda and Hellsing stories following me into the Naruto fandom. Thanks for sticking around, hope I can continue to entertain.

Kirimori - Yeah, that seems to be a common trend with most of my stories, but then again, most are one-shots so its to be expected.

Oh, and I am gonig to attempt using the japanese names for techniques. It became way too odd for me to read my horrible translations. If anyone wants to shoot me translations for the jutsus I come up with (You'll know them when you see them, as they will be mostly in English) let me know. Eventually I'll go back and retranslate the technique names from earlier chapters.

Enough of that, to the story.

* * *

_Damn, wish I had some popcorn._ The thought was transitory, the mind of the Third Hokage quickly readjusting to the battle below, a wry grin on his face as he watched Nanashi match Anko blow for blow. Although he had thought the blond would be at least a little intimidated by Anko's initial dispatching of his shadow clones, as skilled and fluid as her sensei's namesake, it seemed to only fire up the time traveler. He watched in great interest as the two sized each other up before dashing towards the other, each retrieving a kunai into their right hand and lashing out accordingly as they drew closer. The metal knives clashed against each other, both of them trembling against the other as the force each shinobi was putting into their attack was enough to strain the durability of the steel. 

Somehow, Sarutobi wasn't the only one excited either. The fight audience, which to that point had been more or less silent from each shinobi's opening attacks had now begun to act like overly excited academy students, cheering and taunting the two competitors like it was some sort of game. It seemed to be an absurd amount of noise considering it was a stadium full of shinobi; silent dealers of death. Rather strange, in every respect.

The two competitors seem to ignore all this, as they continued to exchange kunai strikes mixed in with various attacks from their respective taijutsu styles. Sarutobi raised an eyebrow as Nanashi nearly snapped Anko's arm when she lashed out too hastily to counter another one of his thrusts. He simply dropped the blade and grabbed the extended arm, not caring as the blade sliced into his cheek lightly, leaving a small trail of blood on his face. With a quick twist that would choreograph into a textbook wrist-lock and arm break, it looked as if Nanashi was about to gain the upper hand early in the match.

Unfortunately for the blond, he didn't take the kunoichi's agility and flexibility into account as she flipped into the air with the sudden twist, lashing out with her foot at the masked blond's face as her upper body was sent closer to the ground from the wrist-lock. It didn't seem to faze Nanashi in the slightest however as he merely released her wrist and leaned his head back, letting the heel that was intended for his face skim within a few millimeters from his nose. Anko quickly landed her attack into a handstand, launching herself back to her feet while throwing another kunai at the masked blond, all with one fluid motion. Nanashi merely caught the kunai by slipping his finger into the ring of the blade, spinning it a few times as he watched his opponent with open interest. The fingerless gloves he wore while doing this seemed to give the scene an even odder look.

Anko openly grinned at the blond, not taking her eyes off him as she brought the kunai she still held in her right hand up to her lips, her tongue lashing out to slowly lick the small amount of blood from Nanashi's face wound with sensual grace. "Mmm, you taste good nameless wonder. I'll have to get some more of that."

Nanashi fought the urge to shudder at the kunoichi's loaded words. The memory of his meeting with her during his first Chunnin examination flashed into his mind but he ruthlessly pushed it back down. Instead he gave a smile that was eiriely similar to another masked ninja's happy expression, squinted eyes and all. "Does that mean you're free tonight hot stuff?" His voice was laced with amusement, and his raising and lowering his eyebrows only helped the expression and tone. _I'm also a pro at irritating people lady._

She scoffed, spinning the kunai that was now clean of blood around by the ring in a similar way that Nanashi was still doing. "As if." She then frowned for a different reason as she noticed that the wound that she inflicted on his face had healed already, as if she had never made contact in the first place. _Well... that's odd. Oh well, I'll just have to make him bleed more next time._

Oblivious to the kunoichi's observation, Nanashi only smirked at her spirit. _She's so like me it's scary. Well then, let's show off a bit._ "What do you say we up the stakes Mitarashi?" He stated with a drawl as he reached into one of the pouches of his coat and grasped a small plastic bottle. With one quick motion, he tossed the object upwards, the kunai that he had been spinning in his right hand following it.

No one could really make out what the object was until it was struck and pierced by the kunai in question. It was then revealed to be only a simple water bottle; now a punctured water bottle as it exploded in a spray of liquid in the air, sending a small and quick rainfall back to the earth. Nanashi only smirked at the dumbfounded expression that was on his opponent's face, an expression he knew was most likely on everyone's faces. Without even so much as a single seal, he merely settled himself into an attacking stance while saying, "Suiton: Suiryudan no jutsu."

Anko couldn't keep her jaw from dropping as the small amount of water that seemed so insignificant earlier suddenly coallesced into a large serpent made of the stuff.With a loud roar it launched itself at Anko, who cursed as she focused all her chakra into her feet to launch herself to her right side to avoid the charge from the water beast. The beast impacted against the ground where she had been standing before with a loud impact, cratering the ground slightly and sending the remnant moisture outwards. She frowned at the power of the technique, _the hell? He shouldn't be able to create such a large beast with only that much water!_

She didn't even have time to recover from her musings as Nanashi was suddenly within her guard, sending an uppercut directly into her gut, lifting her off her feet and causing her to cough up blood. Following through with the blow, he grabbed the woman's shoulders and attempted to knee her in the stomach for another crushing blow but she recovered faster than he could have anticipated, her hands snapping up to block the knee strike before pushing it back down and delivering a quick one-two to the blond's stomach, forcing him to release his grasp as he took a step back from the blow.

Anko immediately capitalized on it, spitting some blood into the blond's eyes, causing him even further distraction as she charged forward, jabbing her right elbow into the man's face with her left arm supporting it and then following up with a brutal uppercut from her left hand, impacting directly underneath the blond's chin. She watched in satisfaction as she heard the impact sound loudly throughout the arena, even over the horrendously loud cheering from the Jounins in the crowd. Her grin faded immediately as the blond poofed into smoke, wariness returning to her eyes. _Kage-bushin? He must have made the switch during that water dragon's attack. Well two can play at that game..._

Even as a child, prior to becoming the apprenctice to the biggest traitor the Leaf would ever see, Anko had unfailable combat instincts. Thus when every cell in her body instructed her to move, she did so immediately, focusing chakra to her feet once again to leap upwards as the ground beneath her exploded from underneath, revealing her opponent who was already preparing a shuriken barrage towards her. Rather than wait for his follow-up, she withdrew two kunai from her holster on her forearm and threw them back downwards, her hands already flashing through seals. "Kage Kunai no jutsu!" She yelled out, watching in slight glee as his eyes widened and was forced to abandon his attack in order to dodge.

Nanashi could only smile under his mask as he dodge the veritable hailstorm of throwing knives. _God, I haven't had this much fun in a spar in forever it seems like. Was she this good before? Damn, I wish I had gotten to fight her before!_ He was forcibly snapped out of his musings by a finger thrust towards his throat from below. He almost fell as he leaned back to avoid what could have easily been a fatal strike and he watched as his opponent grinned that psychotic grin he was becoming to recognize as uniquely hers and continued to follow up with some impressive taijutsu moves that were oddly reminiscent of Orochimaru's prior to inhabiting Sasuke's body. A crushing blow impacted across his face as she shifted another one of her hand thrusts into a right cross, causing his vision to swim for a second before he recovered enough to block her follow up kick. _I've fought that snake more times than I can count, and as good as she is, she's no Orochimaru. Just wait for it... there!_

His counter was quick and unpredictable, a trait he learned to mix into his normal style of fighting in order to deal with a certain pain in the ass bloodline limit that his two biggest enemies liked to use against him. His fist impacted against the woman's face with a sickening crack that even caused Nanashi to wince slightly before he found himself cursing as the body crumbled into mud, the clone having served its purpose as he heard a voice behind him yell out, "Sen'eijashu!"

The serpants were around his body faster than he could react, and he fought the urge to grunt as he felt them already compressing his rib-cage uncomfortably. He only looked over his shoulder at the dark-haired kunoichi with a look of guarded wariness. "When did you switch?"

"While you were hiding underground shitstain. Didn't think I'd follow you under, didja?" Anko was smiling a happy go-lucky grin that would make one think that she was discussing her favorite food on a sunny day, not holding someone in a death grip by a series of shadow snakes. He grin didn't fade as she tightened the snakes around his body, one of the snakes' heads sliding up further to wrap around the blond's neck. "You weren't bad prick, and that trick with the seal water dragon was neat. How'd you form it with such a low amount of water?"

He only grinned, "Trade secret my dear. Let's just say that I have a very unique way of manipulating Suiton jutsus." His thoughts immediately went to the four years of work whose overall result was branded into his left arm. _Hell, I don't even need the water to exist prior. I could take the moisture from the air and convert it but its a chakra drain on a level that would probably kill a normal person._

She only shrugged, "Whatever. Give up or I'll snap your neck idiot."

Despite being in such a horribly compromising position, Nanashi couldn't but chuckle under his mask. "I'll make you a deal, I'll give up if you buy a drink later."

"Fuck no. I swear, your as bad as that pervert Kakashi." She snarled, though Nanashi was pleased to note that the snakes didn't tighten further at his jibe like he was suspecting.

"Hey, who's making assumptions now?" He asked with a smirk. _Enough, time to send her snakes packing._ "Raiton: Static Release." He said loudly enough to cause the kunoichi to look at him like he was crazy before releasing the chakra he had been storing while the snakes bound him. In a dazzling display of electric light, the snakes binding him hissed wildly as he sent over a thousand volts through them. Anko seemed to predict what was supposed to happen and had already cut her connection to the snakes as they fell from Nanashi's body, twitching wildly before poofing out of existence like the summoned beings they were. He only smirked, knowing what he would say next would drive the woman into a rage, hopefully giving him an edge. "Offer still stands sexy." He said, tossing a wink her way, his hands already into his coat pocket, searching for the weapons he wanted.

Anko all but hissed before biting her thumb and forming seals. Nanashi cursed, realizing what she was intending to do. _God damn I hope I still have one of those ready!_ He thought to himself as he began searching his coat pockets for a certain scroll. He grined manically as he found the one he was looking for, taking note that it was his last one, _I'll have to make a few more of those later._ While using a burst of chakra to undo the paper tag holding the scroll shut, he quickly bit his other thumb and drew blood himself in a similar way to Anko before rolling the scroll open by the bloody digit, the other hand holding the scroll steady so it rolled out easier.

The two shinobi looked at each other, one curious as to the other's technique, the other merely hoping he finished in time. As if one, the two both moved to slam their hands to the ground, or in Nanashi's case, the scroll he had unsealed.

The loud cry of "Kuchiyose no jutsu!" met the equally loud cry of "Fuinjutsu: Dimensional Void Seal." The audience watching gave a small start as the stored chakra in the scrolled spread out along the ground quickly, shooting out in a circular form, lines and symbols recognizable as sealing script forming as the circle grew until it covered the arena's ground. The amount of chakra pulsating through the ground from the technique was astounding, even causing the Third Hokage to gasp in shock as the sheer amount of chakra involved in that seal. _My god... he used that much chakra on a single technique? Naruto, what have you become?_

However, there was one person who was not impressed with it. No, she was not pleased at all. Having pumped enough chakra to summon several of summon vipers she was used to working with against superior numbers, she was irritated to find that after the smoke cleared all that remained was a few paltry garden snakes, who looked utterly confused as to what they were doing there. "What the hell did you do?" She roared at the blond, her eye twitching. _This prick is becoming a pain in my ass!_

Nanashi almost stumbled back, the huge chakra drain affecting him more than normal in his haste to activate the technique. _Damn, note to self: do not try doing that one on the fly again. You don't have the damn fox's chakra anymore._ He fought the sudden exhaustion as he spoke, "I neutralized our link to the summon-plane." Seeing her blank look, "It's complicated. Basically I made it so you can't summon your slithery little friends anymore."

Anko's eye was openly twitching now as the garden snakes by her feet seemed to be trying to slither up her legs but failing due to a lack of strength. _Is he actually mocking me? This little bastard!_ "I'll kill you!" She roared, raw rage and humiliation powering her. She totally ignored as he made a few hand seals and summoned a few more shadow clones. They were nothing to her as she tore through them with her bare hands. _I'm gonna tear this little bastard's nuts off!_

Nanashi looked at her with a bit of fear when he saw the crazed bloodlust in her eyes. _Ah, there's the snake woman of my childhood nightmares!_ He thought for a moment before his survival instincts kicked in. _This might work, and let me finish this up. Here's hoping it doesn't hurt too much._ His hand went to the kunai holster on his left thigh, withdrawing one and waiting. When Anko was close enough for his plan to go into action, he throw the kunai at the ground.

The explosive note loaded kunai impacted an equal-distance between the two shinobi, and the explosion rocked the air. Anko was forced to halt her crazed charge and jump back.

Nanashi had been called many things in his relatively short lifetime. Demon, bastard, prick, dead-last, idiot, genius, stubborn, etc, etc. The list was really long, if one actually took the time to compile everything said about him. However, he once again found himself counting on one trait that came up a lot towards the end of the Sound-Leaf war in regards to the tactics he employed. '_So insane that they're brilliant'._

Instead of moving away from the explosion that he had been expecting, he forced himself through the concussive shockwave that shook the arena grounds, forcing himself through the smoke and debris that was sent flying. He ignored the force that impacted against his left arm and tore the sleeve from the rest of the coat, his thoughts already focusing on his next move. _She better be where I'm expecting or this won't end well._

Luckily, he found Anko exactly as he intended. Without so much as a seal, like before with the Water Dragon he had created, he called out "Suiton: Suiro no Jutsu", thrusting his left arm forward towards the kunoichi. Within moments the water prison rose from his extended hand to envelope the kunoichi who was still recovering from the suicidal charge. He only smirked as she realized her situation, holding one hand up to maintain the prison before saying, "Give yet?"

Anko merely glared at him, causing Nanashi's survival instincts to flare up. Calmly she said, "I'm going to enjoy ripping your balls off and feeding them to my snakes." Nanashi couldn't help but shudder at the threat and when he returned his eyes to his prisoner, his eyes widened in shock as he saw her doing seals within the prison. _She wouldn't... She shouldn't be able to use a technique like that while submerged!_ Once again, Mitarashi Anko, the one time apprentice to the Snake Master of the Legendary Three, showed just how unpredictable she was. Nanashi watched in shock as she completed the seals and took in a deep breath within her prison. "Katon: Ryuka no jutsu!"

_Son of a bitch!_ Nanashi couldn't move fast enough to completely avoid the fire dragon as it all but incinerated Anko's watery prison, the napalm-like blaze following after Nanashi as he jumped backwards. He wasn't fast enough to avoid it all together and screamed in agony as the flames engulfed him. After a moment, Anko killed the technique as she removed another kunai to finish off the bastard who had been humiliating her all morning. Her eyes narrowed as the smoke and flames cleared only to reveal a burning trenchcoat. "Where the fuck are you hiding shitstain?" She practically roared, a vein on her forehead beginning to bulge out in her rage.

"Here." Came the quiet labored voice. Anko stiffened as she felt several kunai against her body. One against the back of her neck, another against her spine, and one on her left kidney. Each held by a clone of Nanashi whose eyes were narrowed in astonishment. The real Nanashi walked in front of her, looking worse for wear. Parts of his shirt and pants had been burned away, revealing horrible burn marks on his lower legs and chest. His arms were finally revealed and despite the situation, Anko couldn't help but be mildly impressed by the intricate tatoos running down the lengths of both his arms. They seemed nearly identical, with the one on his right arm being a dull yellow color while the other arm's was a dark blue. On second notice, she realized that they were seals of some sort; one isn't apprenticed to one of the Sannin without learning at least a little about Fuinjutsu. "I really liked that coat too." Nanashi finally stated calmly, looking over her calmly. The real Nanashi looked back towards his his burning coat. "You're fucking crazy, you know that?"

She only scoffed, her eyes meeting his again with no hint of remorse or surprise. "Like you're one to comment."

"Perhaps." He said after a moment as he considered her. "Our respective sanity aside, this match is over. Raiton: Lightning Clone Release."

With those words, the three clones dropped their kunai and grabbed Anko. She tried to free herself from their grasp now that the kunai were gone, but before she could dispatch them all three disappeared with a burst of electricity. Anko screamed in agony as the current that composed the Lightning clones earlier was sent through her body.

As soon as the shock ran its course, she collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. She was only conscious long enough to notice that her opponent had caught her bridal style before she hit the ground. _Fucking prick. Thinks he can cop a feel does he. I'll cut his balls off._

Those were the final 'charming' thoughts of one Mitarashi Anko before she passed out.

-/-/-/

Nanashi only let out a shuddering sigh as he gently placed the kunoichi on the ground. The pain from her continued assault on his body during the course of the match was starting to set in and he couldn't help but feel impressed. _She hits damn hard. I think I'm going to be laid up for a day just making sure I don't have a damn broken jaw from one of her hits.__Even if I do heal fast, I can tell as soon as the adrenaline fades I'm going to need a painkiller or six. Hell, I'm about to drop from chakra exhaustion either way._

It was only then that Nanashi noticed the silence. He looked up to realize that all eyes were staring at him, some in open shock. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, a small part of his childish at times personality kicking in under this much scrutiny. _Oh... crap... _

He was rescued by the awkward moment when the Third Hokage rose from his seat and cleared his throat. All eyes were quickly averted to the aging Hokage, including Nanashi's as the man spoke. "As it stands, Mitarashi Anko is unable to continue. Thus Nanashi is the winner of this year's tournament." At that, there was a loud burst of cheering, as to be expected after such events. Nanashi couldn't help but grin at the sound, it reminding him of when he beat Neji in the third round of the Chunnin exams. Sarutobi waited for a moment before calling everyone's attention then. "In addition, due to his impressive performance here as well as the preliminary rounds, as of this moment Nanashi is promoted to the rank of Special Jounin."

There was significantly less applause at that, as if the audience was confused. Nanashi didn't care much though, as he finally allowed his wounds and chakra exhaustion to let him pass out, his body collapsing on the ground next to Anko's. The last thought he had before he closed his eyes which had been on the sleeping kunoichi was simple.

_I think I'm going to have to avoid her for a while. I like my balls too much._

-/-/-/

Several days later, Nanashi found himself in the Sandaime's office once again. The old man didn't look up from the papers before him as he entered for a few moments before removing his reading glasses and looking his newest Special Jounin in the eye. "So if that test proved anything, you're as good as you claimed."

Nanashi only smirked beneath his mask. "Don't tell me you didn't believe me old man? Have I ever lied to you?" Seeing the frown on the old man's face, he quickly added, "Don't answer that."

The Hokage lost the frown with a slight chuckle. "As you are now a member of my forces, I don't suppose you will tell me the whole story now?"

Nanashi didn't say anything for a while, ignoring the strange look the Sandaime was giving him. Finally he sighed, "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because as long as you do things the same way you would as if I wasn't here, then everything will proceed as before, up unto the point where they need to be changed. I will not jeopardize things by telling you information that won't help you." Nanashi calmly stated, having thought this through in the days following his release from the hospital.

Sarutobi frowned at that, "And I suppose that includes leaving... Naruto alone then?"

"He needs to be."

"..."

"By the time he's... I'm twelve, I'll already have the survival mindset of one of the veterans of the Great Wars. I may show him a thing or two eventually but for now he needs to continue growing on his own." Nanashi finally finished.

Sandaime looked at him for a long time, a sad look finally filling his expression. "Alright then. I'll let you keep your secrets for now, but I want to know if something drastic is about to happen. You understand me?"

"Of course."

"Good." The Hokage then retrieved a scroll from his desk, tossing it to the masked blond. "Then here's your first mission. A-rank. Time for you to earn your keep Nanashi."

Nanashi could only smirk at that. _Time to give the elemental countries a taste of what the son of the Yondaime Hokage can do. Or at least, what he will be able to do._

* * *

Okay. The next few chapters are going to be mostly about nanashi adjusting to following the normal jounin life in Konoha, something he never had before. Mostly it will show his interactions with the characters (Jounin-sensei among others) from the series and develop Nanashi's character (what he became after the Sound-Leaf war.) I'll also go into the disappearance of Kyubi and its effects on Nanashi and his abilities/body. 

I'm actually going out of my way to try to make sure that Nanashi doesn't become super-uber. But for now I'll give a quick run down of his abilities thus far. I'll flush these out in future chapters but here's a summary of things mentioned so far as well as a jutsu list.

**Jutsu List:**

_Kage Bushin no Jutsu_ - Shadow Replication Technique: Generates a complete copy of the user via chakra manifestation. Kinjutsu of Konoha. Naruto's trademark skill from cannon.

_Sen'eijashu_ - Hidden Shadow Snake Hand: This jutsu allows the user to project a number of snakes from their wrist or sleeve as they make a punching motion towards their intended target. The snakes can be used to inflict multiple wounds at a distance or hold a target in place. The snakes are even capable of poisoning the victim.

_Suiryudan no jutsu_ - Water Dragon Blast technique: Using this jutsu, the user creates a huge current of water in the form of a serpentine dragon and directs it towards a target. The water used to create the dragon must be present to perform the technique. Normally this takes an absurb amount of handseals but due to Nanashi's sealing bindings, he can perform any Suiton technique without the use of seals. See Fuinjutsu for more info.

_Suiro no Jutsu_ - Water Prison Technique: This jutsu is used to trap a victim inside a virtually inescapable sphere of water. The only downside to this technique is that the user must keep at least one arm inside the sphere at all times in order for the victim to remain imprisoned. Clones can be used in place of the actual person, provided that the clone is the one that performed the technique. This jutsu can't be performed without a sufficiently large body of water to supply the water for it.

_Raiton: Static Release_: Original Jutsu for this story. User performing the technique generates a powerful shock of electricity by converting the electrical signals running through the nervous system into an attack. User needs to be in contact with the target in order to have any effect and the target cannot be grounded, (though, due to the amount of chakra Nanashi tends to throw into this technique, that isn't always a requirement.) Can be activating with no handseals due to Nanashi's sealing bindings. See Fuinjutsu for more info.

_Raiton: Lightning Clone Release_: Original jutsu for this story. Similar to the kage bushin, a clone of the user's likeness is creating, however these clones are comprised completely of lightning-based chakra. The release is a normal dispelling of clones, however if the clones are dispelling while in contact with someone, they will release the stored voltage/current into the person. Nanashi can perform with no seals due to his sealing bindings. See Fuinjutsu before more info.

**Fuinjutsu**:

As I'm making Nanashi out to be a master of seals, alot of his techniques and abilities will be based off of this. I'm actually going to try and explain sealing, or at least a version of it that will be interesting. Alot of the following information will be revealed later in the story, but once again I'm giving a summary for those interested.

_Earthen Vampire Seal:_ Original technique. Using a sealing matrix and blood as the transfer medium for the chakra, the user can disable and drain the chakra flow of anyone within the seal's radius. The blood doesn't need to come into direct contact with the seal itself, allowing the seal to be placed underground, out of sight. However, the seal will only work if carved into the earth (dirt, grass, etc. Will not work inside a build for instance.) Victims caught in the seal's effect will be unable to move/escape due to the scrambling of their chakra flow, and will be forced to remain that way until the user either disables the seal or they drop from chakra drain.

_Dimensional Void Seal:_ Original Technique. Scroll spell developed by Nanashi for fighting Orochimaru during the remnant period. The summon-plane where the summons such as Manda, Pakkun, Gamabunta, etc, reside is separate from the physical plane. Time does not exist here, and summon types are confined to certain territories by the laws of space-time, to prevent damage to the summon-plane. Only by being summoned to the physical plane can they move freely. When activated, the seal disables any signals normally sent to the summon-plane from the physical plane, thus eliminating any form of summoning for anyone within the radius of the seal. In essence, this prevents summoning jutsus from working, including the Shadow Snake hand techniques since they are essentially a minor summoning technique. Scroll needs to be created and loaded with chakra before hand, as it takes an obscene amount of chakra to create a seal large enough to be of any use in a real battle. In the match with Anko, when activating the seal, Nanashi accidently uses far too much chakra to activate it, hencing in a huge waste of chakra since the scroll was already prepared with chakra prior. Technically this seal could be created on the fly but for it to be of any real use, a very large one needs to be created.

_Elemental Binding Matrix_: These are unique to Naruto. Each one of his arms has one of of these binding seals. When acivated, it allows Nanashi to convert the chakra running through those respective limps into an Elemental Chakra of that nature. It also allows him to use techniques of those elements without the use of handseals, provided that already knows the chakra manipulation required. The actual process of creating these and their effects will be explained much later. Nanashi current has a matrix on each arm, Water for the left, Lightning for the right.

Thats a quick run down of things for now. Feel free to review on what I've done so far or these ideas I've tossed out.  
Later.


	6. Chapter 5

Well folks, here's another installment. Sorry 'bout the long wait but I kinda went on vacation and between that, recovering from that, work, etc, I just didn't really get alot of time or inclination to work on this. I actually scrapped what I originally had for this installment about half way through it to start over simply because I didn't like what I was doing.

On to your questions/comments:

Get rid of sasuke -Your idea is noted. I'm not going to lie, it is something that Nanashi will struggle with over the years leading up to his marking. There are numerous things to account for though, so I'm probably not going to just have Nanashi kill the boy in his sleep.

DarkRavie - Noted. I did originally have some plans for some Nanashi/Naruto interaction, but not to the point of being a mentor or sensei or anything like that. In essence, all Naruto will know is that Nanashi is some strange guy that lives in his building and helps him out from time to time. That as my original idea for Nanashi has been shifting as I write, that may change.

Edengrave - Patience. In the beginning Nanashi will want to let things continue the same, but that will change over time due to his actions. As time goes on, he will realize how unrealistic that view actually is.

Kirimori - Although, with the theory of summoning I'm going to be working on, that's a distinct possiblity, I'll probably hold off on him using that for the same reason I'm going to hold off on him using Rasengan. Using those techniques of the Yondaime will draw alot of attention to this 'no one' that didn't exist before his arrival.

GCmaster71 - Actually, I've heard at least 3 different definitions of 'Special Jounin'. Yours is one of them. The two are: 1. A Jounin who earned his rank in battle or on his merits, but not in an actual Jounin examination, and 2. A Jounin who specializes in a particular field. For the sake of this story, I will be using the final definition, although in most cases the second one also works.

Monks1 - Sarutobi Sasuke is suppoedly a legendary ninja in Japanese children stories in the early 1900's. According to wikipedia, both Sandaime's and Sasuke's character names are a sort of hommage to that. Since I can't find the Sandaime's actual name anywhere, I figured that was as good as one as any.

Keep those questions and comments coming and I'll be more than willing to respond. Until next time, enjoy... or flame. Either works._  
_

* * *

_How come I'm always the one who has to hunt him down?_ The thought bothered the man as he casually walked towards one of Konoha's many training grounds. His whole posture seemed to scream 'I don't care!' as he walked, both hands resting in his pockets, his back hunched forward a bit as he craned his head from side to side occasionally. A lone senbon needle rested in his mouth, clicking against his teeth and almost poking his tongue more times than he bothered to count as he shifted the weapon from one side of his mouth to the other without a care in the world. His brown hair flopped in front of his eyes and he once again pushed it out of his view, his eyes still searching for his quarry.

Shiranui Genma didn't know why he was the one who was always sent to find the damn blonde. He only had known the guy for about a month, yet for some reason he seemed to always partnered up with him, along with his old friend Hayate. For the most part, he couldn't complain; he and Hayate had been working together for years, and the blonde was a powerful backup in a fight. No, he didn't mind working with the enigmatic blonde shinobi in the slightest.

No, his irritation stemmed from the fact that the blonde had the incredibly annoying habit of being able to simply vanish without any traces when he was needed for something. Genma merely grabbed his head in irritation as he continued his search. _He's got to be the only guy I've seen more obsessed with training than Gai. _For some reason, the blonde was always training when not on a mission, as if expecting someone to come after him if he slacked off or even relaxed.

_Though I have to admit, his training is a hell of a lot more interesting to watch than Gai's._ Genma finally thought to himself as he entered the 23rd training ground. As expected, he watched in interest as the blonde continued training, totally ignoring the fact that Genma was there. The brown-haired ninja couldn't help but let his irritation fade as he watched the blonde balancing upside-down in a single-hand handstand on the tip of a kunai, only being held up by his index finger. The ring part of the kunai seemed stressed against the ground, as if wanting to roll to the side but the blonde maintained his perfect balance and chakra control. The blade wasn't even cutting into the man's finger slightly, showing a degree of chakra buffering that Genma was sure that he couldn't do.

_Seems rather tame for his usual though._ Genma couldn't help but chuckle slightly as the thought raced through his mind. It was only then that he noticed several clones of the blonde standing a good distance away from the blond, surrounding him in a loose triangular formation. They were watching the blonde carefully, kunai twirling in their fingers from the ring portion. This continued for a bit until, as if some unspoken signal was given, all three clones began throwing kunai at their creator.

The blonde in the center didn't seem to notice, or even care that a mass of blades were rushing towards him. In fact, his eyes didn't even seem to be open, causing a slight flash of disease in the senbon-gnawing shinobi. Then he watched in amazement as the blonde opened his eyes and launched himself into the air by the same finger he had been balancing on previous. With a few quick pushes, Genma watched in both amazement and amusement as the blonde hopped from kunai, to kunai, still only using that single finger. Even more interesting was the fact that despite pushing off the flying blades to move to the next one, the path of their flight didn't change in the slightest, suggesting a degree of chakra manipulation that still astounded Genma when he let himself think about it.

Finally after pushing off the final kunai, the blonde flipped himself to landing on his feet, dispersing his kage bushin without so much as even a gesture. Instead he merely turned his eyes on Genma and raised an eyebrow, the question unspoken.

Genma only chuckled. "You're a nut, you know that?"

He watched in amusement as Nanashi shrugged, causing the blonde's shoulders to pop loudly before he replied. "On occasion. What's up?"

"Mission. B-rank. Meet us at the north gate in twenty minutes, pack for three days worth."

Nanashi only frowned at him; Genma couldn't see the blonde's mouth, but hanging around Kakashi as much as he did he had grown used to reading expressions beneath masks. "Rather sudden."

"It wouldn't be if you didn't switch training grounds every damn day. Hurry your ass up."

"Damn toothpick, you sound like an old bitch."

"Fuck you Nanashi."

The blonde seemed to grin at him as the retort left Genma's mouth. "And it'd be the best you'd ever get man-whore." He said in a grin before vanishing, a swirl of leaves left in his wake. Genma gritted his teeth, ignoring the senbon being crushed between his teeth.

_One day I'm going to beat the crap out of that guy._

-/-/-/

Nanashi only sighed as he headed towards the North gate of Konoha. _Never thought I'd be sick of doing 'paid' missions._ He idly mused to himself as he walked forward, hands in his new coat's pockets. _Then again, its a nice change from simply having to do them to keep from being wiped out._

It had been roughly a month since the Jounin tournament and Nanashi found himself busy more often than not. It seemed as if the old man thought it would be best to put Nanashi through the mission paces as soon as possible, but even now it was starting to annoy the blonde. Not the fact that he had so many missions; that in itself didn't bother him. No, what really bothered him was the fact that the high amount of missions was that it was really cutting into his training time.

Shortly after he had left the hospital after first waking up, Nanashi had tried to draw forth the traces of demonic chakra that were still lingering in his body. He knew the fox itself was gone, and that was a blow to his power regardless, but being even unable to draw the lingering traces of demon chakra into any sort of control made things clear to him. Where before he had been able to match, and defeat at the cost of his life, an Orochimaru with a sharingan when using his demon's chakra to back him up, now it seemed very likely that he was not nearly as strong as he was prior to his little time jump. That being so, he had decided that he still had two years to make up the difference, and even more so since the bastard wouldn't have those damn eyes that had caused so much trouble.

Hence his, as the one that he had only previously known as 'the Chunnin Examination tooth-pick guy', 'insane training regiment from hell.' Nanashi only shook his head remembering the expression that Genma and Hayate had worn the first time they had stumbled into his training to retrieve him for a mission. The looks on their faces had been priceless; it even caused the young kenjutsu master to stop coughing for a bit in surprise. Most of the time it was just extreme conditioning with a level of chakra control development mixed in, just to make it a little more challenging. He idly wondered if he should spend more time working on his ninjutsu but always quickly shut that idea down. He knew enough jutsu to be a threat; it was just a matter of re-obtaining the legendary stamina that had made him such a pain in the ass to his enemies.

He snapped his mind back to the present, but still thinking about the comrades he had never known before. Genma was a capable and well-rounded shinobi. Good with throwing weapons, and no slouch in the genjutsu department either. Though the man was a womanizer, through and through, leading Nanashi to nickname the man 'man-whore', much to Hayate and Yugao's amusement.

That was another thing that blew Nanashi's mind the first time he saw the two together. He hadn't known Hayate in his past life, the man had died prior to the Sound-Sand invasion and Nanashi hadn't really known anything about him. However, the purple-haired Anbu who had fought alongside him both in the Sound-Leaf war and the remnant period always spoke highly of her deceased lover. There were times that you could practically taste the pain the woman felt when she thought of the man. Seeing them together in this Konoha had forced Nanashi to decide that perhaps keeping out of things until the right time wasn't the best decision. He owed Yugao that much and he would take steps to ensure the kenjutsu master's life when the time came.

Beyond that, the perpetually sick Special Jounin was an ace to have on your side in a fight. The man's mastery of swordsmanship for his age baffled even Nanashi's mind. He never saw the man use many ninjutsu or genjutsu that didn't incorporate his blade, but the ones he did use turned a simple kenjutsu master into a force of nature it seemed. He oddly wondered if he could somehow work out something in the future to have the man train his old friend Iketana Tenten once she was ready to move into mastering blades. He knew by the time she was fifteen she would have practically mastered any and all range weapons. _Something to look into later._

Nanashi only shook his head as he reached the gate, noticing that his two comrades were already there. Genma was once again simply leaning against the gate wall, hands behind his head as he stared upwards. Hayte was actually going through a very intricate kata with his blade, albeit slowly as to not expend too much energy, the occasional cough not withstanding. "Yo." Nanashi said with a grin beneath his mask.

Hayate stopped in his kata long enough to give the masked blonde a nod. "Hello again Nanashi." This stated was then followed by a few coughs before the man moved back into his motions. Genma didn't even bother to look away from the sky, but he did raise his hand in greeting.

"Judging by your reactions, we're waiting for someone else as well?"

Genma nodded, his senbon needle switching to the other side of his mouth as he spoke. "Yeah, four man team this time. Our team leader is supposed to be on their way."

Nanashi only nodded. "Who is it? Hatake-san? Perhaps Yamashiro-san?"

Genma only shrugged, "Who knows? We'll find out soon enough."

Nanashi found himself agreeing with that logic and took up a space next to Genma, leaning back against the wall in a similar fashion. It was not the first time he had gone on missions with these two, but it did surprise him that he was matched up with them so often.

He then chuckled inwardly as he thought back to the first mission he had been sent on with Kakashi-sensei, Kurenai-sensei, and Asuma-sensei. He assumed that after that mission, the Sandaime went out of his way in order to keep the blonde from going on missions with his old senseis. _After all, I probably disturbed all of them pretty badly with some of the stuff I said then._

-/-/-/

_"So, what were you doing before Hokage-sama promoted you?" She asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice as the four were tree hopping back from their latest mission. The four of them had been sent to deal with one of the minor lords of Fire Country. Apparently the daimyo couldn't risk open movement for some sort of political hogwash that Nanashi didn't bother to listen to. Instead, he had requisitioned an A-rank mission to deal with the problem. So in turn, old man Hokage had assigned an A-rank mission to Kakashi, Asuma, and apparently a Chunnin named Kurenai. Nanashi had been thrown in at the last moment, apparently by Sandaime for no reason that he was willing to say. _

_The mission itself had been relatively easy. The assasination went quickly and silently, a testament to the Jounins' skills and the sound-dampening genjutsu that Kurenai used. To Nanashi however, it had been a rather uncomfortable week. He simply didn't know how to talk to his 'future'-senseis, and his discomfort was easily seen. In turn, all three seemed to pick up on this and didn't talk to him unless necessary, something that Nanashi was thankful for on a level he couldn't describe. _

_Nanashi didn't answer her question at first, his eyes gazing off to the sides in order to take in the expressions on his other teammates' faces. Kakashi was blank as usual, his copy of icha icha paradise already out. Despite appearances, he had no doubt that the man was listening very intently for his response. Asuma had merely raised his eyebrow, showing his interest but also his surprise that someone had actually asked him._

_Though he didn't wait too long, as that would case even more suspicion, before answering. "I served directly under Sarutobi-sama for internal village affairs."__He answered in a bored tone of voice, hoping that his answer would be enough._

_"What does that entail exactly? Hokage-sama said you're a retainer of our family but I've never even seen you before that tournament." Asuma replied, an unlit cigarette in his mouth. It was unlit due to the nasty glare from his female comrade that promised overwhelming pain if he lit it in her presence. Despite only being a Chunnin, he had seen the power of her genjutsus in the past and did not relish the results of lighting up._

_Nanashi paused for a moment before saying idly, "I was to observe random shinobi, both while on missions and when they were in Konoha. I was to take note of their style of fighting, weaknesses, strengths and their character. If I saw someone who looked as if they could not be trusted, or were looking to turn traitor to be more precise, I would submit a report to Sarutobi-sama. He would then deal with them, or give me permission to do so."_

_She frowned at that. "So you basically looked for traitors? That's a somewhat... tenuous position."_

_The blonde only shrugged. "Most don't even know that I'm there. I'm not as good as stealth as I used to be, which is mostly the reason I asked Sarutobi-sama to re-activate me. But I know a decent amount about most of Konoha's forces."_

_"Oh, like what?" Asuma asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice._

_Nanashi smirked, taking the challenge for what it was worth. "Sarutobi Asuma, age 25. Blood type O, born October 18th. Father, Sarutobi Sasuke, current Hokage of Konogakure. Sister, Sarutobi Saya, deceased. Nephew, Sarutobi Konohamaru, age 7. Jounin ranked, former member of the 12 Guardians of Fire. Specialty, trench knife mastery, along with close range combat ninjutsu. Known elemental affinities, Wind. Graduated from Konoha's shinobi academy at the age of-"_

_Asuma cut him off, his voice gruff and irritated. "I know for a fact my period of time in the guardians is classified. How did you find out about that?"_

_Nanashi only smiles, his eyes inverting into U's. "I have my ways Asuma-san." He then looks back to Kurenai, "Needless the say, if you're name has come up for any reason, I probably know quite a bit about you. I even know what copycat over there looks like under his mask."_

_Kakashi didn't even bother to look up. "As fasinating as this conversation is, I believe we have arrived..."_

-/-/-/

After that mission, Nanashi had been called into the Sandaime's office for a serious dressing down. Apparently he had disturbed the three more than they had given off, and the Hokage decided that he shouldn't give personal information out like that again unless it was necessary. Apparently, breaking that little rule of classified information, even to other Konoha shinobi, was frowned upon.

He snapped out of his musings when he felt a chakra signature approaching quickly. He opened his eyes and turned his head towards the direction it had been coming from before saying, "Looks like our Captain is here." Genma and Hayate both nodded, Hayate sheathing his blade and standing up straight again. The three turned their heads and waited, both none of them were expecting who showed up.

There was a loud bang, and a bright flash that had all three Special Jounin rubbing their eyes afterwards, but when their blindness faded they were met by the enthusiastic voice of someone that Nanashi had been trying to avoid for the last month. "Alright boys, you're all here. Good, let's get going then!"

While Hayate and Genma seemed rather nonplussed by the entrance, Nanashi only blinked a few times in confusion as he stared at Mitarashi Anko. Finally he spoke up, mostly to his two friends. "She does this often, doesn't she?"

Genma only nodded. "Yes."

"All the time." Hayate added his two ryou, coughing afterwards when Anko turned her glare on the three.

Nanashi noticed her staring at him with a frown before her eyes widened. _Oh shit, that can't be good,_ he mused to himself as she narrowed her eyes at him specifically. "Ah, the nameless wonder. Was wondering when we were gonna cross paths again shitstain."

"Um, thanks?"

She only flashed him a grin that would've caused a lesser man to wet himself. "Just don't slow us down bastard, and then maybe I'll let you keep your balls." She then cracked her neck to the side once before saying, "Let's head out. I'll explain out mission on the move."

In an instant, where four very different shinobi had been standing previously, all that remained was the signs of a breeze, a few leaves stirring in their wake. The gate guards paid no attention to such a thing, it was rather common after all.

Just another day in the Village Hidden by Leaves.

-/-/-/

The mission was at least interesting. "It's simple. Old man Hokage's scouts caught wind of rumors saying a few Cloud-nin turned traitor recently, escaping their village while stealing a forbidden scroll of Kumogakure's. The Raikage has supposedly sent a team of Elites to recapture the scroll and kill the traitors. Our mission is to intercept the Kumo-traitors and obtain the scroll. We are then to destroy all traces of them and leave the area before the pursuit team shows up. Simple."

"You may that sound so easy sempai." Genma drawled out lazily, ignoring the glare from the kunoichi as they continued hopping from tree to tree towards the northern Fire Country border.

"Any ideas where they were heading?" Hayate asked, his question being broken in the middle by a few coughs before he finished it.

"Rumor has it they were heading to Stone country, cut across Iwa to shake their pursuers then head south. But that's all guesswork done by the boys in intelligence." Anko replied, ducking her head as she continued forward to avoid slamming her forehead into a rather large tree branch.

"So we'll have to avoid the Iwa patrols as well." Nanashi trailed off uncertainly. _Fuck, if we're seen they'll flip. I look too much like my old man for them to just let us go. Then again, they might be scared so shitless that they'll leave us alone._ "At least I can't yell at the old man for giving us boring missions." He finally states with a shrug.

Anko seemed to grin at his comment. "Finally! Someone besides who calls him that." She then tossed a cheeky grin towards the blonde, taking great joy in how he seemed to squirm under her gaze. "You ain't that bad nameless wonder."

"Well thank you for the compliment milady." Nanashi says in reply, the sarcasm obvious in his reply."

Anko only scoffs before whipping out a kunai and tossing it at the blonde. Nanashi caught the blade effortlessly, somehow expecting it. "I ain't nobody's lady shit stain."

"Charming. Can't imagine why a woman like you is still single."

Genma only chuckled as the kunoichi seemed to all but growl at his blonde teammate. _While this could prove amusing, it probably should stop before Anko-sempai tries to kill him. _"If you two are done flirting with each other, perhaps we could discuss the current mission and what we should be doing?"

Cries of "Fuck off toothpick" and "Screw you man-whore" echoed in the trees, causing Genma and Hayate merely to chuckle in amusement. _They're so alike it's scary._

-/-/-/

The trip across the Iwa border was made in silence, tension mounting on each of the four as they traveled with all the swiftness of Nara deer. Relations with Iwa had never really recovered after the last great shinobi war, the one where Konoha proved its might to all other nations. The Yondaime himself supposedly decimated almost half of Iwa's camps on his own, if the rumors were to be believed. Needless to say, no country was comfortable having Leaf shinobi within their borders, for obvious reasons, especially the Stone.

Nanashi wasn't sure he believed all the rumors about his old man, but he had run into enough Iwa-nins to know that some of that must've been true. He still remembered he ran into a team of Chunnins from there, and their reactions to him. They had practically shit themselves at seeing him, before turning and fleeing as if the hounds of hell were after them. Nanashi had merely been standing there, thoroughly confused. _In retrospect, it is kinda funny, _Nanashi thought to himself as Anko stopped on a tree branch and made the signal to stop.

All three men stopped immediately on his signal, Nanashi already prepping himself for a fight if necessary. There was complete silence, not even the sounds of breathing could be heard in the forest canopy, except for by the animals that normally inhabited it. They remained this way for quite some time before Anko made a gesture to continue forward.

"What was that about?" Nanashi whispered, pulling up alongside Anko as they dropped to the ground, the forest's edge starting to come up upon them.

"Iwa patrol." She replied in a clipped tone, as if irritated that she was being questioned. "Standard Iwa formation, Chunnin to Jounin level. As much as I would tangling with those idiots for fun, we don't have time."

Nanashi nodded in understanding, falling back to his position in the formation. _Perhaps she isn't as hotheaded as I thought. Eh, learn new things everyday I suppose._

They continued forward, now on the ground, moving carefully as the forest ended and began leading to more rocky terrain. Stone Country was known for its natural defense against invasion due to the mountain ranges that pretty much eclipsed its entire country along its borders. There had never been a full-scale invasion of Stone country due to this. It also helped that conquering those lands would be counter-productive for most would-be rulers. It held a lack of resources that would induce such an invasion, and it was plain to see that the residents of Stone country led a rather backwater life. Nanashi called them 'simple and happy.' Anko, after hearing the blonde's description decided to add her own... eloquent spin on that. 'Fucking hicks.'

The team continued on, stopping only to rest at night and to avoid the Iwa patrols. Little talking was done, for at the times the group rested they were all but exhausted physically. Nanashi didn't really feel it that badly, but then again even without the Kyubi he had always had ungodly stamina. He did take the time when they rested however to replenish his stock of sealing tags.

One night, as he finished the final touches on a pair of shock tags, he noticed that the three of them were staring at him with curious looks, albeit uncomfortable ones in Anko's case. _Wonder why... _"Is there a problem?"

"Been meaning to ask for a while... how the hell didja get into sealing?" Genma asked, removing the senbon from his mouth. "It's a rather odd skill."

Nanashi only shrugged. He was wondering when someone would ask. "Various reasons. Let's just say I've dealt with the things since I was a brat. Besides, they're incredibly useful if you know what you're doing. Making your own explosive and shock tags in itself is a money saver like you wouldn't believe."

Genma and Hayate both seemed to accept that but it was Anko who surprisingly spoke next. "Thats how you pulled that water trick against me, isn't it?" Ignoring Genma and Hayate's looks of confusion, she continued. "During the fight when you pulled those suiton jutsus out of your ass, without handseals and even without enough water to perform them."

Nanashi couldn't help but let his eyes widen at that. _Surprised that she picked up on that. Then again, after she fried my coat the binding matricies were plain to see._ He only smirked beneath his mask afterwards. "Smarter than you act I see."

"Fuck you."

Nanashi only chuckled before thinking about it. Then, as if in response, he shrugged of his coat, revealing both of his arms. Genma and Hayate's eyes widened at seeing the intricate sealing tattoos before Nanashi gestured to the one on his left arm. "These tattoos are the result of about four years of dedicated research. I could go in depth on how they were created or how they work, but I won't bother since none of you have enough knowledge in Fuinjutsu to understand even if I do." He only chuckled as Genma flashed him the bird and Anko seemed to bring a kunai out from nowhere and make a threatening gesture with it. "Each one is called an elemental binding matrix. In essence, the seal is imbued with one of the major elements, and grants me limited control over that element. Hence why I can perform most Suiton and Raiton jutsus without the use of handseals. The binding matrix handles that part of the chakra manuipulation." She the question on Anko's tongue, he finished by adding, "In the case of the Suiton matrix, I can also convert the moisture in the air or ground to perform those jutsus, although the draw on chakra is far more than I feel comfortable with."

Genma couldn't help but whistle at that. "That's damn useful. Does Hokage-sama know about this. I'm sure he'd be interested."

Nanashi shook his head. "I'm sure he has guesses but I have no intention of giving this out. If these seals were ranked they'd probably be considered S-rank Fuinjutsu, simply due to the costs of having one applied to your body."

"Costs?"

"... Let's put it this way. When I placed the Suiton seal on this arm, the process sent me into a four month coma. Judging from what the medics told me later, if I didn't have my freakish healing ability, then the binding process would've killed me, or at least turned me into a vegetable for the rest of my life." Nanashi calmly explained, pulling his coat back on as he began sorting through some of his sealing tags. "Due to numerous... oddities in the way I manipulate chakra, I can use them. I doubt anyone else would be able to."

The three went silent after that declaration, although Anko seemed to give him a wary look of respect. The night passed quickly and without words between the four Leaf-nins.

-/-/-/

They came upon the renegade ninja after three more days travel. Taking care of them had been simple. A simple ambush had all but incinerated one of them and near-crippled the others. As Anko and Hayate finished the other two off, Nanashi couldn't help but hope that the one whose body no longer existed wasn't carrying the scroll in question. He let out a sigh of relief when Anko grinned, a rather large scroll held up in her hand in victory.

The whole attack had taken less than a minute.

It should've ended with that; all the pursuit team should have found was a couple of dead missing nin, the charred remains of a third, and no kinjutsu scroll on them. They would search the bodies and concluded that the charred one had been carrying the scroll, since the Leaf shinobi had burned a scroll around the same size and left it near the charred one. Whatever conclusions could've been drawn would not have mattered, since they were would be no sign of anyone else when the Elites arrived.

Needless to say, either the Elites had been faster than the team from Konoha had been expecting, or the missing nin had been far too slow. Either way, it resulted in a clash between two ninja teams for the same prize, namely the kinjutsu scroll of Kumogakure.

Thus, Nanashi now found himself deflecting the attacks of a pair of overzealous Elites from Cloud, the equivalent of Konoha Anbu forces. He didn't really have time to take notice of his teammates at the moment as he ducked his head to avoid a katana that was charged with enough electric chakra to cause the hairs on his head to stand up. He quickly closed the gap, hoping to eliminate one of the two and even things up a bit before being forced back by the second Elite, a series of kunai being thrown to protect the katana-weilding Elite.

Nanashi only took advantage at the strange lull before the duo's next attack to take in their surroundings. The team from Kumo had apparently consisted of at least five shinobi, although he couldn't be sure. He saw both Genma and Hayate battling their opponents in a one on one fashion, but they were obviously the more skilled. He couldn't see Anko at all, but judging by the loud cursing, hissing insults, and explosions, he could tell she was still doing fine. So apparently he had been the 'lucky' one to get two opponents when everyone else only had one. _Just the way I like it. I love a challenge._

He snapped out of his musings to avoid another series of kunai, now sparking with electricity as the flew past his head. He frowned at his opponents for a moment before deciding that the simpliest tactics were often the best. "Kage bushin no jutsu!" He yelled, his fingers already locked in the familiar handseal. In a instant, he was surrounded by ten clones, all ready to fight. The eleven of them exchanged a nod in understanding before rushing the two Elites, who were standing ready.

The one with the katana merely sneered as he cut down three of the clones in moments, already ready for their creator. "You'll need more than that little leaf."

"As you wish" came the voice from behind him. He only had enough time to look over his shoulder before the bushin he had not seen grabbed him from behind and immobilized him. The rest of the blonde figures merely smirked beneath their mask as their compatriot said his final words with his captive. "Bushin Daibakuha!" In a loud flash and bang of pyrotechnics, it was easy to see that the first Elite was already down.

The second Elite cursed Nanashi, aready forming seals. "Damn you. Time to die bastard. Thunder Dragon Technique!" The voice rang out and Nanashi frowned as an unfamilar raiton technique formed into the shape of a dragon and chared the blonde with a roar that shook the ground.

"Son of a..." Nanashi cursed as he desparely tried to avoid the attack, watching helplessly as the clones that were in the dragon's path were annhilated. _It's even chasing me... Is it partially autonomous? Or is he still controlling it? Interesting technique._ He continued dodging by slim margins but his actions seemed to be for naught as the beast seemed hungry for his blood.

"My little pet will never let you leave this place alive." The Elite shouted back, already throwing a pair of kunai towards Nanashi to kill him. Nanashi knocked them away, thankful that they weren't charged with electricity this time.

He retailiated on the run, throwing a kunai of his own back. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Kage kunai no jutsu!" The one kunai multiple by fifty and the Elite found himself dodging a veritable hailstorm of throwing blades. Nanashi didn't take the time to follow his movements, his attention now focused back on at the rampaging electric serpent behind him. "Oi, toothpick! Little help here!" Nanashi called out.

Genma merely snarled out, "Little busy!" before receiving a well-timed blow to the face from his opponent.

Nanashi only frowned, _I could try that. Well, when in Iwa..._ Then he began forming seals as he ran and dodged, already hoping that his plan would work. _Not sure how it'll act with that technique but its worth a shot._ Finally, he turned around after dodling the serpent's latest attack and watched as it turned around to charge him again. He finsihed the seal sequence and slammed his hands to the ground, "Doton: Iwa no Tate!"

Within moments a large slab of rock rose from the ground in front of the blonde, blocking the raging raiton technique. When the dragon didn't seem to be present anymore, Nanashi couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. At least before an incredibly painful blow slammed into his spine. He was launched forward through his stone wall and bounced a few times before rolling into a crouch position in pain, already glaring at the hole he had been sent through. The Elite was standing there, a cocky grin on his face but it was easy to see that he was pissed as well. "Not bad for surviving my pet. I'm going to enjoy killing you little leaf."

Nanashi only scoffed, reaching for a specific kunai from his set. A quick glance told him that both Hayate and Genma were preoccupied so no one would notice this move. With a strong arm, he threw the kunai straight at the Elite's face. The man merely tilted his head to the side, laughing mockingly at what must have been his opponent's final desperate move. "Say g'night Leafy."

It was in shock that the leaf nin vanished in an instant and he felt the kunai being held against his throat. _So fast! How?_ As if hearing the question, Nanashi only replied, "The yellow flash has been reborn." Those were the final words that the Elite heard before dying.

Nanashi only replaced his custom kunai and shook his head. _I really shouldn't have used that. I didn't really need to, but it was the quickest way._ He then turned his eyes on the two who were attacking Hayate and Genma. _Let's end this and go home._

-/-/-/

"That the best you can do?" Anko yelled back gleefully, her tongue snaking out to lick the trail of blood coming down from her forehead. The bastard was putting up a good fight, she'd give him that. That little landmine trick was a damn good one, one that she'd have to look into once she made it back to Konoha.

The Elite merely snarled back at her, numerous bite marks trailing up his right arm where the cloth had been torn off. He didn't say anything but did start performing seals. Needless to say, Anko had no intention of letting him finish, already throwing a series of shuriken at her opponent, following them up with her own charge. She didn't bother to follow the shuriken for long, already knowing her opponents reaction, as if she possessed a sharingan of her own. When he jumped to the side, she was already there, slamming a knife hand thrust directly into the man's throat.

The Cloud nin dropped like a rock, his hands reflexively going for his throat as he began coughing and wheezing. Anko only looked down at him, rather disappointing with how anti-climatic the battle had gone. "I guess I was expecting too much."

"Fuck... you... bitch..." The man wheezed out, his air passage still closed for the most part.

"Eh, you could've at least come up with a more original insult." She then made a few handseals before saying, "Later sparky. Katon: Gokaikyu no jutsu!" The blaze from the woman's mouth engulfed him and Anko couldn't help but smirk, satisified at the way he burned.

Only to have her merriment cut shot as a hand grabbed her shoulder from behind. "Then again, I suppose this will work too." Her opponent's voice rang through her ears, "Raiton: Short Circuit." Pain engulfed Anko's being at a level she had not felt in years. She couldn't hear anything over the sounds of her own agony, certainly not the laughter of her opponent as she dropped, convulsing and twitching from the current rushing through her veins.

Nor did she hear the sound of his laughter being cut short as a blade separated his head from the rest of his body. As the spasms seem to calm down, she was only able to hear a few words before blacking out.

"You made that too quick Hayate, should've made the bastard suffer more."

"Did the job didn't it?"

"Shut up you idiots. We've got what we came here for. Let's get out of here before we have to tangle with the damn Iwa patrols as well."

"Sure thing Nanashi. You carry her, Hayate and I will run cover."


	7. Chapter 6

Okay folks, here's the next chapter. Got sidetracked on a bunch of different things. I'm not going to do replies to reviews in the story from now on unless its a question that comes up alot. Though if the review is actually addressing some legitimate concerns about my style or something, I'll try to follow up with you. I'm also going to try and get back to my normal sized chapters, as the ones I've used in this story have been much shorter than my usual chapter sizes. I will address one issue that has been brought up several times though. In regards to giving characters certain names, (The Sandaime's given name, Tenten's last name), unless someone can find me proof that their name is actually given somewhere in the series, I'm going to continue any 'fake' name I come up with. This really won't be an issue anymore though, as pretty much all the characters whose full names I would actually use are know to us.

Enough talking, enjoy the chapter.

* * *

The squad traveled quickly, cutting straight back to the border of Hi no Kuni rather than using the more roundabout way that took them through less of Iwa that they had taken in their initial trip. With Anko injured as she was, and no medic present, the group agreed that speed was of the essence; they would deal with any threat with extreme prejudice if it showed up. The life of their comrade, albeit a psychotic one, took precedence over all else. 

Genma took point, with Nanashi and Hayate following, the body of the unconscious Anko being carried by the blonde bridal style as they ran over the treacherous rocks of Iwa's mountain range. None of them spoke as they moved, each preoccupied with their companion. None of them could really say they 'liked' Anko, but she was still a Konoha nin, a dependable one at that. _Ties that bind, _Nanashi thought to himself as they ran.

They were forced to stop near the border, the massive push back to Hi no Kuni draining them to a degree that surprised them. Even Nanashi found himself panting from exertion, once again wishing that he still had his demonic stamina from his 'other' life. Camp was made quickly, only a small fire to show for it. Hayate was the first to pass out, not surprisingly as the man was perpetually ill. Genma merely sat down next to Anko's body, staring into the fire while twirling a senbon between his fingers. Occasionally he cast a glance towards the unconscious kunoichi, who was still being examined by the blonde fuinjutsu master. Genma couldn't see the man's face but he could tell something was bothering him. "What is it?"

Nanashi shook his head, not answering Genma's question at first. His attention was diverted to the strange dark mark that covered a portion of Anko's neck, and once again found himself kicking himself mentally. _Oh that's just what we fucking need right now. For the love of kami... how the hell did I forget about that?_ "She's... alive."

Genma frowned at that, reaching up to untied the bandana that he wore around his head. "No shit. We've know that for a while blondie." He said it with a low drawl, as if not to awake the sleeping woman. Not that she would be waking up anytime soon. Non-lethal raiton jutsus tended to do that to someone. "Well, at least she's stopped twitching."

Nanashi merely tilted the woman's head to the side, revealing the counter seal that held the curse seal in place. "Normally I could make up a few medical seals that would help her recovery but her having one of these complicates things." He could feel the senbon-chewing shinobi staring at him in question so Nanashi merely sighed and began speaking again without looking up. "There are seals that could force her awake, or at least kill some of the pain she's probably experiencing, but I'd rather not start screwing around and mixing seals against the ones she's already got."

Genma looked back towards the fire, a blank expression on his face. "I'm guessing that the question, 'what's the worse that could happen?', would be one with a very unpleasant answer."

Nanashi chuckled at his friend's statement. "Something like that." Nanashi leaned back from examining the woman, allowing her head to roll back into a more comfortable position. He leaned back on his haunches and stared upwards towards the stars. "Fuinjutsu, at its very core, can be explained as manipulation of two forces that I call 'chaos' and 'order'." He caught Genma's interested look and continued, "For example, one could explain that an explosive tag is pure 'chaos' energy tied to a fire element, then contained by a weak barrier of 'order' energy; essentially controlled chaos. The forces do not like to co-exist, as such they destroy each other. Hence the fuse on the tag; once the tag is primed, the excess chaos energy eats the order energy until..."

"Boom." Genma surmised, bushing a few of the logs within the fire with a large stick kept nearby before turning back to the blonde. "I didn't think it was that simple."

Nanashi shrugged, "It's not really. Much more goes into it than that but that's the basic concept that most of my style of Fuinjutsu goes by. There are numerous different ways of explaining the same phenomenon, thus why Fuinjutsu is not taken up by many shinobi. Hell, even Fuinjutsu masters have trouble working together on a common seal due to the differences in how one studies seals. Some of the sealing philosophies are even in direct contradiction to each other, hence why its such a complicated subject."

Sensing he was getting off topic, Nanashi returned to his prior example, "The example from before works the same way for shock tags as it does explosive tags. However, when you start mixing in elements, body chemistry, different ways of molding chakra into the seals, it becomes complicated on a scale that still hurts my head sometimes."

"Then the curse seal..."

"This isn't a true curse seal; well, not really. Thank kami for that." Nanashi explained, turning his gaze back to the woman's neck before looking his friend in the eye. "It was the traitor's first real prototype of the seal. It really only has about... probably a quarter, probably less than that, of a curse seal's true... corruption. The true form of the Heaven's Seal, along with the others that the traitor has come up with, has a bunch of nasty biological and mental side-effects."

Genma remained silent, not really sure what to say to that. Nanashi only sighed as he leaned back until he was lying down, hands behind his head. "Remind me to talk to the old man about learning some medical techniques when we get back. This is kind of a pain to deal with."

The two remained slient for quite some time before Nanashi sat up. "Get some rest toothpick. I'll take Hayate's watch as well, Hayate needs the rest more than I do."

"Right. We won't be able to keep this pace up though..."

"It doesn't matter. Once we get back into Fire Country then we can relax a little. Hell, she might wake up before we get back anyway."

Genma smirked at that. "And I'll bet she'll be pissed as hell too."

Nanashi only smirked, "Of course. Wouldn't expect anything less from Konoha's snake-mistress." Seeing the other man quirk an eyebrow at the odd title being given to the kunoichi, Nanashi merely shrugged. "What? She uses snakes to fight... a lot."

Genma merely chuckled before digging into his pocket and retrieving the forbidden scroll they had been sent to retrieve. "Don't say stuff like that. People will think the two of you have something going on, and if those rumors get out she'll probably kill ya." He tossed the scroll to Nanashi who caught it effortlessly before adding, "Some reading material for you. Wake me when you need to."

Nanashi only nodded absentmindedly, already turning his attention to the scroll. _Well this could prove interesting..._

-/-/-/

The trip was uneventful, much to Hayate's relief as they finally reached the gates of Konoha. He was exhausted by their trip, and could tell that his old friend Genma was as exhausted as he was, albeit far better at hiding it. He coughed a few times before his drooping eyes landed on the blonde fuinjutsu master, still carrying their female captain.

It was amusing in a sense. She had woken up during the third day of their travel, but was unable to move herself. Nanashi had spoken of it as temporary, since apparently the technique involved was more for capture than for killing. However, this meant that she still needed to be carried and that rankled with the kunoichi's pride. While neither Genma or he made remarks about her condition, the blonde openly joked about it, as if finding her insulted pride incredibly amusing. The woman had been a non-stop barrage of insults and threats the entire trip back; fortunately for the other two, her ire was focused solely on her transport who seemed able to ignore her in a similar way that Hatake Kakashi was able to tune out Maito Gai.

Her ranting had actually attracted one of Iwa's patrols, but after a combined burst of potent killing intent, the level of which still stunned Hayate silent in awe, from the blonde and the kunoichi, the Iwa's let them pass. Of course, part of that could be that they were too busy pissing themselves, but who really cares.

Nanashi ignored Anko's continued glare and let out a sigh, relieved at finally returning to Konoha. _I can finally get away from this mad woman._ "Hayate, Genma, get some rest guys. You're both gonna collapse. I'll take 'princess' here to the hospital and report in for us." The two nodded, grateful for the excuse to head back to their homes before reporting in, before heading off towards their respective apartments.

Nanashi only sighed before noticed Anko's continued glare. "Cut it out woman or I'll just drop you here."

"I'm going to take great joy in hurting you once I can move my limbs again."

"Yes, yes, yes. And I'm sure the beating will be legendary in Konoha for years to come. Now stop glaring at me; I'm just trying to help bitch." That comment seemed to cause her glare to narrow even further, and if Nanashi really cared he would wonder if bringing her to the hospital to get fixed up would be wise for his own health. _Whatever. Let's just get this over with._

-/-/-/

Checking in with the Hokage didn't take too long. When questioned on where the rest of his squad was, Nanashi gave a brief run down while handing over the kinjutsu scroll to Sandaime. When Nanashi explained that they were delayed because of Anko's paralysis, the old man seemed to chuckle in amusement at the story of how the blonde had to carry her. "I can't say I don't pity you my boy."

Nanashi only rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I've dealt with people a lot scarier than her trying to kill me."

The old man merely shook his head, as his amusement started to fade. "Don't mind Anko-chan too much. She's had it tough over the years. She's a good person at heart, despite how much she tries to hide that fact."

Nanashi merely raised an eyebrow at the old man's statement before echoing, " '-chan'? I can't picture Mitarashi Anko as anyone's '-chan'." He chuckled at his own joke, finding it as amusing as the old man did. He lost his amusement and said, "By the way, when she gets out of the hospital, there's something I want to talk to the two of you about."

The Hokage looked confused for a moment but merely nodded. He then looked to the scroll for a moment and changed the subject. "So was it worth it?"

Nanashi smirked beneath his mask. _I'd say so._ The scroll had contained several high ranked Raiton techniques, including the electric dragon skill that had caused Nanashi a bit a problems during the battle with Cloud's Elites. Raiton techniques that he had already memorized the theory behind and intended to work on in his spare time. "Eh, there's a few interesting techniques in there, but I doubt many people here will be able to use most of them. They all suck up chakra like a sponge if what I read is true. Most of them are high A-rank ninjutsu, and one or two S-rank attacks."

Old Sarutobi merely nodded, placing the scroll on his desk for review later. "So how many did you learn?" He asked casually, as if knowing the blonde's plans already.

Nanashi scratched the back of his head as if embarrassed, "A few. Enough to make that scroll interesting to me." He then sighed, "You need me for anything else old man?"

The Sandaime merely shook his head, opening the drawer in his desk to remove his pipe and tobacco. "No, you can go. Get some rest Nanashi. I'll come get you and Anko once she's recovered for whatever it is you want to talk about."

Nanashi nodded before giving a slight bow to the old man he had once seen as a surrogate grandfather. "G'night then old man. I'm crashing." Then with a single hand seal, there was a poof of smoke that accompanied the usual Konoha teleport, leaving only a few leaves in the blonde's wake.

The old man merely looked at the leaves that were now sitting on his floor and sighed. "I really need to make them start using the door... Well at least he didn't jump through the window like Anko does."

-/-/-/

Anko would be the first to admit to herself that she was never a very patient person. On more than one occasion she had jumped the gun on missions, much to the chagrin of her superiors, simply because waiting bored her to tears. The life of a shinobi was a life of action, wasn't it? Screw of that watching and waiting bullshit. Why simply watch a dangerous criminal if you knew could take him out? It seemed common sense to her.

Thus, when she was given a clean bill of health from Konoha's health fascists (Konoha General Hospital), she didn't waste any time in trying to find that blonde-haired prick who had only recently become the bane of her existence. She had pretty much forgotten about him after the Jounin tournament, a series of A-rank assassination missions taking up her time until her most recent mission with the three idiots from hell. For the most part, she didn't mind Genma and Hayate, despite wanting to slap the hell out of Hayate for never bringing some damn cough drops with him. _Whatever he's got, I sure as hell don't want it. Don't need the living sickness spreading to me! _Genma was a good drinking buddy, but besides that she didn't really know anything about him.

But that blonde bastard seemed to irritate her on a level she couldn't truly understand. He seemed to humiliate her as naturally as breathing, and the part that annoyed her the most was that he was DAMN good at it. First in that tournament to every damn Jounin in Konoha, then again when he fucking carried her back like she was his woman! In retrospect, she's not sure which angered her more, but that was irrelevant. She distinctly remembered a promise to cut off his balls, and while she may not go that far, she did owe the bastard a good hard beating.

She was stopped by her self-set task of the day when a messenger from the Hokage was sent to tell her that he wanted to talk to her. Hoping that it would be quick, she was due for a mission report anyways, she heading to the tower, climbing up the side and jumping into his office via the window like she always did. _Let those other chumps take the stairs. Hey, wait a sec. The window was open this time! There goes my fun._

She turned to face the old man, a frown on her face and not being able to make a flashy entrance and was met by the amused grin of the Sandaime. "Ah Anko-chan. Good to see that you're up and about again."

She snarled at the diminutive suffix, but said nothing. The old man was kami-only-knows how much stronger than her, so she would allow his indulgences, as much as she disliked him. Although many people called her psychotic, she wasn't stupid. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. What'd you want old man? Got another mission for me? Or were you just looking for a cheap thrill?"

The Sandaime frowned at her words but she didn't care. She had stopped caring what people thought of her long ago. _If they don't like me, well fuck 'em._ The old man seemed to be looking to say something but was interrupted by a knock on his door. He looked away from the kunoichi and said, "Come in."

Anko didn't bother to look behind her as she heard the door open. She only yawned and cracked her neck to the side, producing a loud audible crack that caused the old man to cringe, bringing a childish grin to her face. She heard the measured footsteps of whoever it was until they stopped next to her. Only mildly curious, she tilted her head to the side to see who it was, only to allow the small grin on her face to become a full smile. _Oh this will be fun._

In an instant she had withdraw and kunai and jumped the newcomer. And as if expecting such a thing, the newcomer easily countered her and restrained her against the ground. Or at least, several kage bushins of him did. "Good to see you too Mitarashi." Nanashi growled out, as if annoyed, not that Anko gave a crap.

She only growled in irritation at being one-uped again. "I so am going to beat the crap out of you. You've had it coming."

She narrowed her eyes as the masked idiot only rolled his eyes. "Charming as usual. You need to get a hobby or something Anko."

"I do have one. It's called castrating annoying bastards."

A cough brough the two shinobi's attention back to the elder in the room, who had an expression on his face that was a mixture of amusement and annoyance. "Can we get to business please? As amusing and entertaining it is to watch you two act like children, I believe you called us here for a more important reason Nanashi."

Anko couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as the kage bushins holding her down disappeared in a burst of smoke. She didn't make any more to attack the blonde-haired bastard, but she was pleased to note that he kept his eyes on her in a gesture of wariness. "Of course Hokage-sama."

Anko only once again popped her neck as she she stood up, her eyes going between the masked idiot and the old man. "So what's going on? You want a mission report?"

The old man shook his head. "Actually, Nanashi already gave me the mission report. This meeting is on his request actually, so it would be best to ask him."

Anko only turned to face her new nemesis and narrowed her eyes, "What is it nameless wonder?"

He seemed to lose his nerve for a moment, even though the bottom half of his face was shielded by one of those masks that Cyclops always wore. _Speaking of which, I still need to win that bet with Kurenai about getting his mask..._ The nameless wonder, as she so 'lovingly' dubbed him, seemed lost on what to say. Finally he let out a deep breathe before looking her directly in the eye, taking her aback. The expression conveyed by those eyes, when before she had spoken to him were filled with various emotions ranging from annoyance, amusement, wariness, and fear, were now filled with the utmost seriousness. As if what he wanted to say to her would shake the foundations of her world like some voice from the heavens.

Anko sometimes really fucking hated it when she was right.

"With your permission, I want to remove your curse seal."

-/-/-/

"Excuse me?" The Hokage couldn't believe what he had just heard. While the blonde-haired shinobi from the future had become an asset to Konoha since his arrival, he highly doubted that even this man could undo the damage of a curse seal. Even Jiraiya had been stumped, and after Namikaze Minato, there was no one else in the leaf who could even come close to matching his most... colorful student's understanding of Fuinjutsu. _If that is his attempt at a joke, it's not funny._ Sarutobi frowned at that, turning a glare on the blonde from the future. _No matter what he says, it seems Naruto never does grow out of his boasting._

It seemed Anko had the same opinion, as she snorted before telling the man that he was full of it. Or to quote her exactly, "So full of shit that its coming out your ears."

However, the masked blonde didn't even bat an eye at her words. "While Fuin Hoin is a temporary solution to the problem, it does not actually solve it. It is still tied by a chakra aura to Orochimaru, thus if you ever meet him in the future, he'll be able to cripple you in agony with a single half seal."

Anko narrowed her eyes dangerously at the blonde for even mentioning her old sensei, letting out a snake-like hiss and Sarutobi honestly was becoming a little nervous, not to mention rather upset. The harsh reaction was expected out of Anko. After all, she was all but betrayed by the one person she trusted with all her being, thus is was her right to be angry about it, even to this day. However, her reaction was telling, meaning that despite her loyalty being to Konoha she still desired revenge against her old sensei. And Sarutobi did not like Nanashi bringing this up. "There are no seals that can counter Orochimaru's curse seal that Konoha is aware of. We don't know enough about how the seal actually works to develop a true counter-seal, or to remove it entirely. If you're trying to be funny young man, you're failing miserably."

Nanashi only turned a glare on him, as if annoyed at being questioned. "You don't know how the Heaven Seal works. I do." He stated it simply, as if casually telling Sarutobi what his favorite color was or that it was sunny outside, despite the undercurrent of annoyance in his tone. "And the seal she has is only a prototype of the full Heaven Seal. Hence why I can remove it."

Anko only reached for a kunai, her voice a sharp edge to match the blade. "Shut the fuck up." Her voice hissed in controlled anger, "Not even Jiraiya could remove this filth from me. And you're no Jiraiya, no matter how good you 'think' you are at-"

Nanashi only glared at her, cutting her off. "Cursed Seal of Heaven. Applied through direct contact to the subjects blood, typically through the form of a bite or otherwise injected directly into the subject. Upon its placement, it immediately sends a line of Orochimaru's own chakra directly to the central circulatory system, namely the heart and surrounding tenketsu. The sudden shock is akin to a blow from the Hyuga's Gentle Fist, causing immediately damage to the victim and in most cases knocking them unconscious almost immediately. In the course of their unconsciousness, the seal begins taking in the victim's normal chakra and alters it, eventually pumping back 'tainted' chakra into the victim's chakra system. It eventually distorts the victim's chakra system in such a subtle way that the victim's body may no longer recognize the chakra present, and thus react against it as if its an outside force, often leading to death."

Nanashi only halted in his explanation, as if noticing the looks of disbelief on both the old man and kunoichi's face. The kunai that the woman had been preparing had fallen from her grasp, and a look of absolute shock was etched into her face. Giving a sigh, Nanashi only asked, "Should I continue, or do you believe me?"

Sarutobi was stunned and once again kicked himself. _Of course there is reason to believe what he says. He's from the future, and has probably fought those with curse seals on more than one occasion._ He only sighed as he sat back into his chair, rubbing his head as a sudden headache began forming. "So you can do this?"

Nanashi only shot a look to Anko, who seemed to be recovering from her shock, before facing the old man again. "Yes. But even though her seal is incomplete, there will be some risks, and I will need adequate preparation and supplies before I can go ahead."

"Like what?" Anko asked weakly, shocking both men as she stumbled into a nearby chair, not meeting either of their gazes. She seemed rather vunerable now, so unlike the Mitarashi Anko that Sarutobi was used to seeing.

"... I will not lie. The risks are large and the process will be painful. Regardless of the outcome, you will not die, if that's what you're worried about." He paused for a moment, as if measuring what to tell the woman. "The risk lies in your recovery. There's a good chance it will cripple your chakra pathways in such a way that you won't be able to manipulate chakra anymore. If that happens, your life as a shinobi is over."

Sarutobi frowned, casting a concerned look towards the kunoichi who still hadn't raised her head. "Why?"

Nanashi only closed his eyes in resignation. "To put it bluntly, removing the seal requires the equivalent of completely purifying her chakra pathways and the tenketsu that produce chakra within her body. Like the case of the application of the curse seal, the nature of her chakra will change back to its original form, and there is a chance that her current system will no longer recognize her original chakra, as its been corrupted by Orochimaru's for so long. While the rejection shouldn't be as fatal as the cursed seal's application, there is a chance that her body will not even recognize it as chakra. Thus it would remain in her body, flowing like normal, keeping her alive, but there would be no way to mold it like she could before."

"So... I wouldn't be able to perform any jutsus." Anko said quietly.

"Not just that. But you wouldn't be able to use it in any form. You wouldn't even be able to focus it in the slightest."

The office went silent at that declaration. No one really knew what to say to such a warning. Sarutobi only looked over to Anko in concern. _I can't imagine what she's thinking right now. She's dedicated her life to being a shinobi, even more-so after Orochimaru's betrayal. Being a shinobi has been her life. If she can't be a shinobi anywards, will she allow herself to continue living? _"Are there any problems with leaving the seal as it is?"

Nanashi nodded. "Her lifespan will be shortened as the taint grows. However, since this is only the prototype for the true Heaven's Seal, I do not know how much or how fast it will affect her. The body is not meant to integrate foreign chakra like that, but the curse seal limits the damages done when its inactive. The Fuin Hoin blocks the mental effects that often plague those seals, so no problem there. However, she will never be able to even be near Orochimaru without feeling some discomfort, and as I mentioned before, he could cripple hear, or even kill her, with a single half-seal if he so wished."

Anko chuckled lowly at that. "So even now he controls my fate. How fucking pathetic..."

Nanashi shakes his head. "Its not that extreme. He would need to be close to you in order to have that level of control. It's not like you have to live in fear of it."

"Whatever."

There was a long silence before Sarutobi let out a sigh. "Anko, take some time to think about this. I won't tell you not to do it, but I don't believe you should. This is your choice. Take some time to think about it. When you come to a decision, come talk to me. My door, er window, is always open to you."

She nodded, standing up. She raised her head to look at the old man and Sarutobi truly felt pity for the woman, as the expression of indecision was so foreign to her face. He never said it out loud, but he often considered the apprentices of his three students as wayward nieces and nephews. Thus, the lost expression on his most rambunctious member of his 'family', even more-so than Minato could ever claim to be when he lived, felt like someone was stabbing him directly in the heart. She bowed to him and left the room, via the door this time.

Sarutobi turned his gaze back to the blonde after she left only to find that he too was looking at the door with an expression of concern. When he finally looked back to Sarutobi, he asked weakly. "Should I have even mentioned it?" Sarutobi said nothing, but he honestly didn't know what to tell the man. "I've brought up a lot of bad memories for her I'm sure, but I thought I should at least give her the choice."

"You have done this before?"

He shrugged. "I've removed the normal curse seal before. Removing the prototype should actually be much easier, and I won't need a team of medic nins to do it either." Sarutobi shot the blonde a confused look at that but the masked shinobi merely shook his head, "Long story. Maybe one day when you have time, I'll explain it all but I think we've all heard enough about that seal for the time being."

After a moment, he nodded. "Alright then Nanashi. But if she decides to go through it, I want to know everything. Are we clear?"

The blonde bowed. "Of course. Let me know if she agrees. You know how to find me." The blonde then turned to leave.

As he placed his hand on the door handle, Sarutobi decided to say one last thing. "Naruto." The man didn't flinch at the use of his real name, but he did look over his shoulder back at him. "I can't say you made the right decision in giving her this choice. But I will say this, I'm sure your father would've done the same."

The blonde didn't seem to react right away. But then he merely gave Sarutobi a slight nod before opening the door and leaving. Sarutobi merely sighed before reaching into his desk for his pipe. As he filled it with tobacco and lit it up, he couldn't help but wonder how this incident would end. _All we can do is wait, I suppose. It comes down to her decision... Choose wisely Anko._

-/-/-/

That night came quickly, as it time often seems to slip away when pondering something that was important. Anko was never really a big fan of deep thought. Oh, she enjoyed thinking about complicated ways to win battles or to get revenge on idiots who annoyed her, but the whole meta-philosophical bullshit was never her cup of sake. She weighed the pros and cons, then made a decision, 'nuff said.

_Doesn't really fucking help me this time though..._ She thought to herself in irritation as she took another sip from her sake dish. She had found herself in her usual evening hangout, a rather out of the way bar close to Konoha's red light district. It was surprisingly clean however, both hygienically and morally (or at least as moral as one can get in a bar while getting wasted.) The drinks were cheap, the music was good, and no one bothered you unless you wanted to be bothered. _Also one of the only damn places that doesn't act like I'm going to snap and slaughter everyone_, she thought bitterly.

She sat at the bar, her eyes locked straight ahead towards the rack behind the bar. A line of bottles representing different kinds of booze from various places throughout the elemental countries were lined up, as if to showcase that the place was in fact a legitimate bar. Anko usually avoided that crap though, she was more than satisfied with saucers of hot sake. Simple, cheap, and effective. That's all she really wanted in a drink. Especially since she seemed to come by this place so often.

Oh no, little Anko was NOT an alcoholic. No siree. She just enjoyed the taste of the warmed liquid, and the burning that accompanied it both in her stomach and in her throat. _Really, Kurenai-chan worries too much._ Though, she didn't know what to think when there was always a jug of hot sake waiting for her at the bar when she showed up every night nowadays. Or that she only paid at the end of the week, the tab always being the same.

So lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't notice when someone took a seat next to her and ordered a small bottle of sake for himself. She only glanced over at him before returning back to her inspection of the bottles behind the bar. _Just who I needed to see... I come here to forget about the other shit going on in my life. _She thought to herself bitterly, finishing up her saucer of hot sake and pouring more into the dish from her jug.

Finally she broke the silence, raising her dish slightly but not drinking from it. "You ever try any of that fancy shit there?"

Her companion received his bottle and saucer and didn't answer her at first. Instead he poured out some of his bottle into the small saucer and placed the bottle back down, but made no move to pick up the small dish. "A few times." His voice was quiet, and Anko couldn't help but glance at his eyes. They were glazed over as he stared at his own sake, as if lost in his own memories. He chuckled slightly before pointing towards one of the duller looking bottles on the rack. "See that stuff right there?"

"Yeah?"

"First time I had shots of that with my teammates after an A-rank mission, my girlfriend and I lost our virginity and my other teammate was found passed out draped over the memorial with his pants around his ankles." His voice had picked up a bit, the pleasant memories causing his tone to lose the dread that seemed written into his eyes when Anko looked before. He even chuckled a bit, "That bastard never lived it down, and never drank with me again after that."

She couldn't help it, picturing such a scene caused her to let out a loud laugh, spooking the other people in the bar at the sudden outburst. She slapped the bar once, causing their sake saucers to move a little before saying, "That's fucking awesome. Ha ha, that's fucking hilarious."

The blonde merely scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin, or what she assumed was a sheepish grin. He turned back to his saucer and picked it up, lowering his mask with his other hand. Anko stared at his unmasked face for a little, noticing the odd marks on both sides of his face, albeit faint ones. He finished his sip and then laughed. "My girlfriend decided to stick to tea after that night."

Anko, seeing the opportunity for a little payback, simply grinned. She waited until he was taking another sip before asking, "Why? You a bad lay?"

His reaction was expecting, spitting out the sake over the bar in surprise, leading into a series of coughs that would have made Hayate proud. She couldn't help herself and let out that loud booming laughter that no one would expect from a kunoichi. The bartender, although annoyed at the mess the blonde created, chuckled as well. It was a perfect shot after all.

The blonde merely wiped his mouth with his hand and glared at the woman, who only gave him an 'innocent' smile. Although, even an innocent smile on Mitarashi Anko was enough to chill a common man's blood. Luckily, Nanashi was well versed in dealing with insane people, "Well played Mitarashi, well played."

"Not really, you just suck." She quipped cheerfully, taking another sip of her sake. She then asked, "So thats why you wear the mask, eh? So who are you, Yondaime's cousin or something?"

The blonde merely looked at her uncomfortably for a moment before leaning towards her and whispering, "Keep a secret?"

She shrugged. "Sure oh nameless one."

"The Yondaime never died." He then leaned back with a smirk on his face, reaching for his own sake dish and taking a sip as he watched her reaction.

She frowned at that before really examining him. She had actually met the Yondaime a few times, but every shinobi who was alive at the time of the Kyubi attack knew what the Yondaime looked like. The man before her was strikingly similar, even down to the same blonde hair and cerulean eyes. The way he seemed to carry himself was similar to the Yellow Flash of Konoha, and Anko suspected that if his hair wasn't slicked and tied back into his ridiculous little horsetail that it would spike up.

She took all this in and realization slowly dawned. _Looks exactly like him, a master of Fuinjutsu, and apparently powerful as fuck... No way._ "You're..."

He only smirked at her stunned expression before taking a sip of sake. "No, I'm just fucking with you." The reaction was instantaneous, the jug beside her sake dish already swinging towards the man face. He casually ducked the swing, bringing his hand up to grab her wrist to stop any more swings. "Now, now, now. Let's not waste good sake." He quickly reached up and pried the jug from her grasp, placing it back down on the bar before he lost his amused expression and was again slipped into the same serious expression that he had in the office. "And it's not what I came here to discuss with you."

She wretched her wrist back, turning back to his dish and downing the remainder in the saucer. She reached for the jug that Nanashi had placed on the bar and he made no motion to stop her. As she refilled her saucer she spoke, not meeting his eyes. "Say your peace then."

He refilled his own dish before taking a small sip. "I apologize if my offer brought up unpleasant memories, but after seeing your seal on our return trip, I felt I had to at least give you the option."

She nodded. She coudln't find it in herself to be angry or irritated with him at the moment. _And he sounds honestly sincere about upsetting me. Who knew?_ Instead of commenting on his words, she merely asked, "How do you know so much about the curse seal?"

There was a long pause, long enough to cause Anko to look back to her companion. His eyes were closed, as if thinking deeply about what to tell her. Finally he spoke, "When I was a genin, I was assigned to the standard three man team. We never got along that well, but the other guy on my team and I became like brothers, albeit very competitive ones. We made it into the Chunnin exams, well prepared and ready for anything, or at least we thought we were.

"My teammate had a bloodline limit, a fairly powerful one. And no I won't tell you which one." He added, throwing a smirk towards the woman, who merely glared back at him. "A bloodline strong enough to attract the attention of... you're ex-sensei. He was marked by Orochimaru's Heaven Seal and eventually betrayed us and joined that bastard." At this she watched in idle interest as his hand tightened around his bottle of sake, almost breaking the porcelain. "We tried to bring him back numerous times, but we were never able to do it because of the seal's corruption. So I began studying them in order to remove it from my friend."

Anko raised an eyebrow during this story but said nothing. _If this story is true then how the hell does Hokage-sama not know about it? Is he feeding me a line of shit? No, he's allowing me to read him openly and there's no lie in his eyes. Something doesn't add up..._ "However by the time I developed the method for removing the seal, I stopped caring about trying to save my friend."

"Why?" She asked, placing her dish back on the bar and turning to face him fully. The bar was empty now with the exception of the barkeep, and he was in the back cleaning up. She could tell that if this story was true, that it was classified up the Hokage, but from the way he told it, it seemed that he had never spoken of it before to anyone.

He looked her straight in the eye, "During an engagement with a squad he ran, he captured me and my girlfriend. He tortured me for hours on end in front of her and then when I was too weak to retaliate, he made me watch as he killed her." His voice cracked a bit at this and he looked away from her. She gave him his space, merely looking at the line of bottles again. He continued talking to himself for a moment softly, although she heard his words slightly. "He cut out her eyes, the eyes that were always so full of love for me, even when using her Byagukan in battle..."

The bar was silent after that, both shinobi drinking from their saucers a little more quicker than normal. The barkeep normally would've kicked the two out, but somehow even as a civilian was able to read the mood. So he merely brought them another jug of sake each before asking Anko to lock up after they left. She gave him an absent-minded nod but wasn't really listening.

The two drank in silence, each lost in their own memories before Anko finally asked. "Why did you tell me that?"

Nanashi looked lost in thought for a moment before chuckling, "Not really sure actually."

"Hokage-sama doesn't know about it then."

"Not specifically, no. He knows better than to push me on certain subjects." Nanashi stated quietly, as if now coming to terms to what he had just told Anko, someone he wasn't even all that close with. "And I'd appreciate it if you kept that to yourself. It... it isn't something that I like to remember..."

She only shrugged, but she already knew that he knew she wouldn't tell anyone. "So... you any good a poker?"

He only looked at her with a confused expression, even without the mask covering his face. "What?"

"Did I stutter nameless wonder? There's a gambling den a few blocks from her and I'm in the mood to screw with some people's heads. So are you any good."

The blonde considered her statement for a moment before placing the empty saucer down and reached for the jug that the bartender had given him. Without so much as a word, he downed the entire remaining contents of said jug without so much as a twitch before raising his mask again. He gave her a small wink before saying, "I'm a man of many talents Anko."

She only rolled her eyes at the display and the words dripping in inneundo. She following his example, finishing her jug off before standing up off the bar stool. "Then let's get going. Maybe if you're lucky you'll get a chance to show me those other talents of yours, cause you sure as hell ain't a good shinobi."

"Fuck you snake-bitch." He said in response, although there was no real heat to it. It was as if he was giving her a compliment, although there was amusement as well.

She only grinned back as she walked towards the door. As she walked outside, she decided to not give him the last word. "Nope. Sorry, but I don't sleep with guys that are bad lays."

The sputtering and twitch under his right eyelid made her night.

* * *

I wasn't sure if I was going to make Anko a main character in this story but writing the dialog between her and Nanashi is just far too fun to stop. Let me know how this came out. 

-Rurouni


	8. Chapter 7

Wow, I think since the last chapter I've seen more notices about story/author alert signups than I can ever remember for any of my other stuff. Nice to see that you guys are actually enjoying my odd little story. Here's your next installment, enjoy.

Another note to my Clans readers (I know theres at least one of you): I'll probably be starting that up again soon. Then again, its only going to be a 4 chapter story so maybe if I can motivate myself enough, I can actually finish the damn thing.

* * *

The sun always rose rather early in the country of Fire, at least when compared to the other elemental countries. It was part of the reason that it had that name, or rather its less official title, 'the land of rising fire'. It was mostly because to the mainland, the sun always rose from the East of the continent and set off into the far west. Though why Fire Country earned its title over the even further eastern islands that made up Water Country was a point of minor debate among modern scholars. Some speculated that it was due to the perpetual humidity and fog that constantly covered the lands of Water, it was actually very hard to see a sunrise (or a sunset for that matter) while within its borders. Others stated that it had to go back to the fact that the lands of Fire had been known to the others of the continent far longer than the islands that fell under Kirigakure's control.

Anko never really cared to find out. She was too involved in watching the sunrise from her position, one leg tucked up to her chest as she sat over the edge of a cliff, her other leg hanging off lazily. Her arms were wrapped around her leg as she let loose a yawn, her eyes bloodshot from being awake so damn early. One would think she was simply watching and enjoying the sunset from a scenic position, relaxing in dawn's first light.

Too bad it wasn't true; Anko hated sunsets. Well, she didn't so much hate the phenomenon itself, as even she could admit it was a pretty sight. One that she rarely got the chance to see. She could easily see why some people woke up every morning to watch the sunrise. No, what she didn't like about sunrises is the fact that they happened so damn early. If they could come at around late morning, she'd be more than happy to watch the orb of pure flame rise every day. But no, they came at roughly 5 a.m. every damn day.

Anko was not a morning person, and she tended to be a rather cranky person before the afternoon began. So once again she glanced over her shoulder towards the cave that was engraved into the cliffside, ignoring the two medics that were sitting around a small fire chatting animatedly, and wondered what the hell she was doing there.

-/-/-/

_"So you've made your decision then?" The old man asked her quietly, that old wrinkled face of his betraying nothing of what he thought she should do. She already knew his opinion, but despite all he had done for her after her sensei's betrayal, she would do what she wanted to do, and to hell with what anyone else thought._

_She nodded, "Let's do this shit."_

_She almost felt bad when the old man merely let out a sigh of worry, but didn't let her distract her from gazing at the one who put forth the choice in the first place. The nameless wonder was merely standing there in silence, his blue eyes merely locked on her face betraying nothing, although there seemed to be a bit of shine there that she didn't care to try and decipher. _Then again, maybe he's just hungover,_ she thought to herself in amusement. They HAD drank a lot the previous night, enough for her to wake up draped over the couch in her apartment and idly wondering where her skirt went._

_The old man spoke up, bringing her back to the issue at hand. "So be it. Nanashi, are you prepared?"_

_The masked nobody merely shook his head no. "The ritual takes some time to prepare. I'll need to ask for a few favors before we can start."_

_"Name them."_

_The blonde mere held up one hand and began ticking off points off his finger. "One: I'll need a pair of medics to assist after the ritual's completion. Mitarashi-san WILL go into shock after the procedure, at least if the pain doesn't knock her out. I'll need their help to stabilize her after the ritual is completed." Anko wasn't sure what she thought of that last tidbit._

_"How much pain?" She asked warily, not that it really bothered her. _A little pain for my freedom from that prick? No contest.

_Nameless wonder merely looked at her, his eyes turning into that idiotic expression that proved he was smiling beneath that stupid mask of his. "Trust me, you'd rather not know."_

_"Tch." Anko scoffed at the childish attempt to intimidate her, as well as his copying of that jackass Kakashi. She glared at the old man who seemed amused by their behavior, but said nothing._

_"Two: I'll need a place a distance from the village where we won't be disturbed." The blonde continued, ticking off his second point._

_The old man merely frowned once again, his wrinkles seeming to deepen each time he did that in Anko's presence. "Why?"_

_The blonde shrugged, "There will be a chakra backlash after I finish the ritual, and anyone not aware of chakra will feel the effects and it'll probably cause a panic."_

_Sandaime merely nodded, "I think I know of a place we can use. I'll tell you where it is later. What else do you need?"_

_"Finally, I'll need approximately five liters of blood corresponding to Mitarashi-san's blood type." The blonde stated casually, as if it was a common thing to request so much blood._

_Both she and the old man looked at the blonde in open shock at his request. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Anko couldn't stop herself and the words left her mouth before her brain fully processed them. The Hokage merely looked horrified, as if something was just starting to click into place in his mind._

_Seeing their reactions, the masked nobody merely shook his head, as if dealing with children. Anko wasn't sure what to feel about that, but she probably would've thrown a kunai at the bastard for that reaction if she wasn't already distracted. "I'm not going to lie, this will require a massive blood seal. Probably the most intricate that anyone still living in this village has ever seen."_

_"You aren't instilling me with confidence of her safety, Nanashi-kun." The old man stated, his eyes narrowing at the blonde._

_Anko merely shrugged. Sure it seemed extreme but she didn't really care. "Whatever. Let's get this over and done with."_

_Nanashi only nodded. "Let me know when you have everything prepared Hokage-sama. I have some other preparations I will need to complete." Then with a poof of smoke, the blonde was gone, leaving the woman and the old man alone._

How come I have the feeling this damn ritual is going to suck? _Anko wondered to herself as she left in a similar fashion, not giving the Hokage another look._

-/-/-/

Anko only sighed, lying back against the stone of the rock cliff as she stared upwards. The trip hadn't taken long, only about an hour outside of Konoha, north into the mountains. The blonde punk had found the cave and gone in, leaving instructions to the three of them to wait outside while he prepared the seal.

That had been four hours ago. She didn't know what the hell the idiot was doing in there, and in truth she didn't really care all that much. But she was getting bored, and as everyone in Konoha knew, a bored Mitarashi Anko is a dangerous Mitarashi Anko. On a more disturbing note, this also applied to a happy Anko, a drunk Anko, and last but definitely not least, an angry Anko.

Finally she stood up and stretched, feeling bones in her shoulders and neck crack audibly. She walked over to where the two medics were cooking breakfast and talking quietly. Without so much as a word, one of them handed her a field mug filled with coffee which she took without a word and drank quickly. It was lukewarm, but that was more than she was expecting. She gave the mug back to the medic without looking, her eyes on the sun again as she reached into her pouch and pulled out a ration bar and began to eat breakfast.

"What the hell is taking so long?" She muttered, loud enough to be heard by her fellow shinobi.

One of them merely shrugged before answering her rhetorical question. "Who knows?"

The second medic looked like he was about to add to that but was silenced when the form of Nanashi was found exiting the cave. His mask had been pulled down to his neck and he was lighting a cigarette with a flare of blue chakra flame as he took a seat by the fire. He obviously ignored the glares the two medics shot at him for smoking near them and took a deep drag off the smoke before saying, "It's pretty much ready."

Anko merely growled out, " 'Bout damn time nameless wonder! What the hell were you doing in there, whacking off?"

Nanashi didn't even bat an eyelash at her crude question. "Go take a look if you want, just don't touch anything."

Anko gave the blonde a snort before marching over to the cave entrance. She felt the two medics stand and follow her, their curiosity as strong as her own. The cave went about twenty feet into the mountain before opening to a more wide cavern area, circular with a radius of about fifteen meters. It had been an old supplies storage hold during the last great shinobi war, but hadn't really be used since. A small lantern was hanging from a hook in at the part where it began opening up into the cavern part itself. Another lantern, usually hanging in the center of the cavern was sitting on the floor beneath it, providing less light to the actual cavern than Anko was expecting.

But even with the low light, she couldn't help but let out a low whistle at the sight before her. Her two medic companions had different reactions altogether. "Holy shit."

The second must've been a little green. Anko didn't bother to look over her shoulder at him, but the sound of a hand slapping over a mouth and all indication that the man was fighting back vomit was unmistakable. Though the reaction worried her a bit, but for a different reason altogether. _Doesn't this guy deal with blood and guts all the time?_

_Though, to be fair, I doubt even that bastard Orochimaru would be able to take this in calmly._ She idly thought as she looked over Nanashi's handiwork. Painted into the floor, walls, and ceiling of the cavern was the blood that they had brought with them. Anko in a way wished she had taken the time to study seals more closely instead of being disgusted by them after her 'marking'. Painted into all surfaces was trailing and flowing sealing script, kanji, hirigana, katakana, and even what looked like the language from the lands to the south; beyond the Elemental countries.

She could see lines trailing from a circle in the dead center of the cavern floor, spiraling out to four edges, each ending with what Anko could only discern as some sort of compass point on the walls of the cavern. The marks were duplicated on the ceiling, spiraling out from the circle to meet on the walls in the same four compass points. She did recognize the names of the guardian beasts of legend as she stared at these compass points. _Appealing to the kami... feeling less and less sure of this already._ At the base of the entrance to the cavern was another small circle, with direct lines to the four compass points, and to the circles on the floor and ceiling. Sitting beside the smaller circle was a few empty containers of blood, but there was still a container and a half left, sitting out as if waiting for use.

Anko merely shook her head and headed back outside. _The old man never sees this. He'd probably shit himself if he did._ She caught the blonde as he took another deep drag off his smoke before flicking it off the edge of the cliff without looking at her. "Scared yet?"

She only raised an eyebrow in amusement and replied in the same cocky voice she used when explaining to enemy nins exactly how she was going to get them to talk. "That's some pretty fucked up shit in there buddy." He only shrugged before turning on eye on her. She didn't like the way he was looking at her, as if measuring her like some piece of clothing. "What is it shitstain?"

There was a long pause before he pinched the bridge of his nose, as if irritated. "Please for the love of kami tell me you're wearing undergarments."

Anko blinked. Blinked again. Blinked one more time before her eyes narrowed and her left hand already was twitching. "You're not my type idiot."

He chuckled slightly at that. "I imagine that. Don't flatter yourself Anko, I prefer a woman who doesn't try to stab me every time she sees me."

"No one to blame but yourself." She says with an edge in her voice, a clear warning to get to the point.

He sighed before looking her in the eye. "The final part of the ritual requires me to paint the remaining seals on your skin directly."

She gave him a blank look. She heard chuckling behind her and looked over her shoulder to glare at the two medics who seemed to find this tidbit quite amusing. They stopped their chuckling when her glare met their eyes though, promising to stick some very sharp objects in uncomfortable places. When she had silenced the two idiots, she only turned her glare back to her on and off nemesis. "Are you serious?"

He nodded, showing no intimidation to her glare. "Yes."

She didn't let up her glare but already felt like she was already regretting agreeing to this. Anko wasn't a shy person when it came to showing off what kami gave her. She knew she was a good looking woman, and normally had no problem flaunting it, even back in Konoha. It was part of the reason she dressed like she did, and it did occasionally help against the hormonally challenged assassination target. However, she didn't make it a habit to show off her fully nude body if she could help it. Despite her revealing clothing, it did hide the goods, so to speak.

Thus the feelings of mortification and embarrassment that were so foreign to her were not welcome in the slightest, nor expected. She felt her cheeks flare up slightly and cursed internally, _I can't believe this shit. I'm blushing like some stupid teenager._ She finally spoke after a few minutes silence. Silence that had sent to the two medics reaching for their supply pouches, fully expecting the volatile kunoichi to start hacking their blonde comrade to pieces. "If you're fucking with me... "

To his credit, the blonde fool actually look insulted. "Yeah, yeah yeah. Whatever. It's not like you've got anything the three of us haven't seen before. We can start whenever you're ready but let's not take too long. It'll take about ten minutes to ink the final seals on your body, and the ritual itself will take about an hour."

She only growled before looking at the two medics and the blonde and stating in a very murderous tone. "If anyone ever hears about this, I will castrate all of you. Very slowly, with a pair of dango skewers. Understand?"

Though it was rather rewarding to see that she could still scare the shit out of people.

-/-/-/

Nanashi only sighed as he walked back into the cavern, a bit of mental exhaustion starting to play with him. He hadn't performed this ritual in a long time, and had forgotten how time-intensive prepared the containment seal actually was. He and Jiraiya had co-developed this ritual after Orochimaru had switched over into Sasuke's body. They knew that the snake would once again have to change bodies, and that he would once again go looking for a suitable host with a bloodline limit. And knowing the sadistic streak the snake liked to show off, they had decided that his next target was likely a Hyuga. After all, why stop after sampling one doujutsu of Konoha. Might as well go for the whole meal.

Then the Leaf nins had captured the man who had been the snake's guinia pig, a man whose blood carried the final part of the cursed seal that had baffled Jiraiya and Sarutobi for so long. They had been lucky and with Tsunade's assistance were able to design the ritual that would fully remove a curse seal from someone. They only had to perform the ritual once before Orochimaru seemed to stop trying to mark Hyuga-nin with his curse. Though, it was probably mostly because the snake's pride wouldn't allow him to use the seal before he killed the ones who had crafted such an effective counter-method.

Nanashi merely shook his head, snapping out of his memories as he lifted the final container of blood and began walking towards the circle in the center of the cavern. He calmly reached into the left sleeve of his trenchcoat and withdrew a fresh brush, a small and thin brushed usually used for delicate markings. While the part of the seal that had to be inked on a persons body didn't require too much precision, at least compared to the external seal itself, a small brush did for a fuinjutsu user to take their time and ensure that they made no mistakes.

After all, messing up a seal typically caused... unfortunate results.

When he finally reached the center, taking great care to not disturb any of the drying blood on the floor, he cracked his neck to the side once. The sound echoed in the chamber, but no one said anything. The two medics were watching from the exit, morbidly curious about what was about to happen. Anko was standing in the circle in her birthday suit, arms crossed across her chest and glaring at him like she was trying to eviscerate him by her eyes alone. A glare that sent a clear warning to his mind. _Note to self, do not pay attention to her body. And a fine body it is... Stop that, she'll kill you if she notices. _He merely placed the container down on an empty spot before saying, "Show me your back. We'll begin there."

She didn't say anything but did comply with his orders. He then bent down and dipped the brush into the blood, soaking in enough of the liquid to be useful but not enough to drip off. He then went to work, inking the final seals, not even paying attention to the woman's body. _Suzaku of the South; whose purifying might will drive forth this darkness. Genbu of the North; whose power will stabilize the chakra field, and bring forth her uncorrupted lifeblood. Seiryu of the East; who will bring forth her new life. Byakko of the West; whose presence will aid Seiryu in stabilizing her new lifeblood._

The four cardinal directions and invocations of the ancient kami were not often used in Fuinjutsu. Signs of the zodiac, yes. Sealing script, a language really only understandable to those who followed the path, the bread and butter of any person studying fuinjutsu. Nanashi had learned all of these things under Jiraiya, and then later on under several other Fuinjutsu masters during the remnant period, including some Shinto priests and minor demons. Jiraiya had been positive that Nanashi had surpassed Yondaime in all respects to his field, but Nanashi always thought his judgement was clouded after Nanashi figured out Hirashin no jutsu. _It really isn't that complicated, all things considered... then again, ero-sennin always did have trouble thinking outside the box when push came to shove._

He quickly shot his memories down as he continued, moving lower from her shoulders and center of her back down to her hips and legs. A stabilization point on each hip consisting of several kanji, then continuing on to a series of zodiac trigrams on each leg. _Remember, always choose their proper mate. Do not mix their enemies with their allies or you won't be able to expect your work to do otherwise._

Heading back up, he stood once again. "Face me." There was a little hesitation on her part, which was starting to bug him but he said nothing. He did find it somewhat amusing that she was acting so shy, considering her normal clothing; something he was going to enjoy bringing up alot, threats of castration or not.

She finally turned and he didn't bother to meet her eyes, already dipping his brush once again and continuing his work. Linking the two hip stabilization kanji to each other via a triangle, with each vertex surrounded by a trio of hiragana to filter what type of chakra would pass through. "Drop your arms, or raise them above your head. Either way." He then dipped his brush again and began trailing upwards from the top vertex of the triangle, a spiraling line that ran between her breasts, until if finally reached the boundaries of the counter-seal already in place. "Almost done..." He mumbled, already adding a few more filtering components in order to be safe.

"Hurry up already. That shit is cold." He heard her grumble out. He chuckled slightly as he backed away, dropping the brush into the container and bring it out towards the entrance. He ignored the two medics who were staring at him in anticipation, as if excited to see what he was about to do.

He only shook his head at them before saying, "Once I activate this seal, it will take about 1 hour. When the seal goes dark, she will either be unconscious or convulsing. Take care of her because odds are I will be feeling tired as hell." Seeing they nods he walked to his own circle and sat down inside it, indian-style. He spoke up to Anko and asked, "Ready?"

She almost looked hesitant for a moment before schooling her features into that cocky grin he had begun to associate with the violent kunoichi. "Hurry up shitstain."

He only chuckled once again before reaching into his supply pouch and pulling out a kunai. Without saying a word, he casually flicked it in her direction. She didn't flinch at the sudden blade, but caught it with a look of confusion on her face. "Sit down and bite down on that; it'll help." She only snorted but did as he asked. He only closed his eyes and sighed once before moving his hands into the activation seal. "Here goes."

And with a spark of his chakra, the blood in the cavern turned a dark hue, as if all ambient light was being sucked out to darken the blood. Though no one was really in a position to comment, as Anko screams were totally consuming. Nanashi only concentrated, keeping the flow stable. _Sorry Anko, but bear with the pain._

-/-/-/

Later on, when reporting about the 'mission' to the Hokage, the two medics would really be unable to describe what took place. While they had been expecting a light show of sorts, as most complicated sealing techniques gave off a soft glow, at least in the medical field, they did not expect what actually did occur.

The cavern darkened for a few moments, the lines of blood changing to a dark blue color as they moved out from Nanashi's circle to Anko's. As soon as the inner circle darkened, the rest of the blood lines in the room seemed to glow an incandescent green, like the soft light of fireflies in the spring. Unlike the slow change that had taken place prior, the new color seemed to move like an out of control tsunami, all the blood changing color in a matter of moments, even the blood seals painted to Anko's body. They watched in morbid fascination as the light reached her neck, and then literally watched in shock as the Fuin Hoin was all but shattered in an instant.

Watching a seal actually shatter is a very rare occurrence. Complicated seals typically either worked or they didn't; there was no real struggle to maintain a seal's activity after the activation was started as long as the seal was being fed chakra. Granted their experience with seals was limited to medical procedures, but they understood the basic concepts. Thus to watch a seal, even a counter-seal, break apart like it was cheap ink is an interesting phenomenon. The marks merely faded away, like water evaporating into the air.

The Fuin Hoin gone, the Cursed Seal tried to activate, as if finally sensing its freedom after years of restraint. Black marks began spreading out from Anko's neck, the shapes of jagged lightning bolts beginning to paint her skin a pale purple color. Its movement was quick too; in a matter of seconds it had almost completed covered her right arm, the right side of her face, and was rapidly crossing her chest to her other arm.

Then as sudden as the curse seal's activation began,the blood marking Anko's skin changed colors once again, now to a white so bright it made the medics avert their eyes. The darkened skin that the curse seal had been trying to mutate into Orochimaru's twisted ambitions began to flake off, as if dead skin. In the end they were surprised they were able to focus on as much as they did.

For there was no ignoring the screaming.

As soon as the blonde had activated the seal, the woman had begun screaming like she was being flayed to death. The kunai that she had been given to bite down on to distract herself was clenched so hard between her teeth that it actually snapped like cheap plastic. Thus with the barrier gone, Mitarashi didn't even bother to fight her screams from escaping.

They were shocked to see that she wasn't moving from her position either, despite the intense pain she must have been going through. Though judging by the spasmatic twitches in her body as she screamed in agony, she was trying to move, but something was preventing her from doing so.

Meanwhile, the blonde fuinjutsu master merely sat calmly, his fingers twisted into the Tiger-seal, and his eyes closed as if sleeping.

And this continued for a full hour.

Needless to say, when the light of the seal finally faded, the woman in the cavern's center collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. The medics were frozen in place, as if wondering if she was dead before an order from Nanashi reminded them of their jobs.

Thus, after witnessing such an experience, it wasn't surprising to Sarutobi when both nins requested to never assist Nanashi with anything again.

-/-/-/

Nanashi let out a sigh of relief as he terminated the chakra being fed into the blood seal. The woman's voice, which he had not been able to tune out in his mind much to his annoyance, finally went quiet. He opened his eyes to see the woman twitching wildly in the center circle and shot a glance to the two medics. They both were just staring, obviously still in shock, or was it awe, of what they had just seen. "Move you idiots! Stabilize her damn it!"

As if being broken out of a trance, the two were at the purple-haired kunoichi's side in an instant, one already beginning a diagnostic technique while the other held her body steady. As the seconds ticked away, the movement of Anko's body began to cease until the second medic released her completely, tossing a look towards his comrade. "Status?"

"Stable. Severe chakra depletion, minor signs of pulmonary damage and her endocrine system seems slightly off, but there shouldn't be any complications. Seems to be damage to the nervous system but once again, only intense stress. Nothing some good bed rest and a few supplements of BA-25 won't fix." The first medic said, pulling his hands out of their seal to reach into his pouch and pull out a syringe needle along with a small vial. He quickly filled the needle with the substance from the vial and emptied a small amount, dispersing the air contained within the syringe before finding the vein in the woman's neck and injected it. "That should force her to stay unconscious until we get back. It'd be complicated if she were to wake and start trying to move around before being healed, as Mitarashi-san is known to do."

Nanashi only stood and pulled his mask down while pulling out a cigarette while the medics did their job. He didn't smoke often, at least before the war began taking a turn for the worst. Eventually though, he found himself smoking more and more as the stress began to build up, much to the chagrin of Tsunade-obachan and Shizune-neechan. He was actually quite surprised with himself, as it was the second smoke he had today and only about an hour and a half apart. _In a way, its probably good that Shinzune-neechan isn't here. She'd give a me a lecture..._ He flicked his fingers together and with a spark of chakra, a crimson flame was soon lighting the end of the cancer stick. _That was far more difficult than I remember it being. Perhaps I underestimated the prototype after all..._ He then walked over and began taking off his jacket, draping over the nude woman's body. This odd action drew the attention of the two medics and in doing so, their ire when they noticed him smoking again. "Get her ready to transport. I need to clean up in here."

They didn't argue, the first medic already adjusting the coat around the woman's body to allow her to retain some degree of modesty. The second was already on his way out, perhaps to clean up the camp while the first very carefully lifted the woman and walked out with her draped over his shoulders, in the textbook way of carrying injured comrades that was taught in the academy. Nanashi watched them go and followed them until he was at the entrance to the cavern itself. He then turned and took the cigarette out of his mouth and placed it behind his ear, ignoring the heat and slightly burning sensation that resulted from the action. He began forming seals and eventually slammed his hands down on the edges of the circle that he had activated the seal from.

"Katon: Seal Removal." He watched as the line of blue chakra sparked once before racing through the trails of blood, evaporating what was left of the liquid into a fine red mist. He had no intentions of leaving signs of the seal in place; leaving signs of a ritual took place was never useful, and could prove downright troublesome if anyone else with knowledge of Fuinjutsu saw it. He had gotten into the habit early on in his Fuinjutsu studies after watching how much the old pervert could put together after finding one of the snake-bastard's seals. He developed this technique to compensate. Although not a true fire technique, the chakra did take in oxygen to produce enough hear to evaporate the liquid, and it did its job admirably. Within two minutes, there was no trace of what had taken place in the cavern, despite the heavy smell of blood in the air.

He removed the cigarette from behind his ear and exited the cavern. The two medics were already waiting for him and he simply gave them a nod before the three took off, already running back to Konoha with their unconscious comrade. A comrade, who for the first time since she was a child, had no mark adorning her neck. Nanashi was sure she'd appreciate it, once she woke up. A thin grin crept up as he took another drag off his smoke, still running. _At least, after she tries to maim me for the pain. I'm thinking I should make myself scarce again. _He only shook his head as that thought entered his mind. _First the tournament, now this. Heh, if Ero-sennin knew I was running from a woman so often he'd never let me live it down._

-/-/-/

"So it all went well then?" The question was well meant, but to Nanashi he couldn't help but hear a little doubt in the old man's voice. He was not used to people underestimating his skills; hell, no one had dared do so since he was a reckless child. Even Orochimaru was wary of the blonde's abilities in Fuinjutsu.

"Of course. Have a little faith you old geezer." Nanashi said, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. He couldn't help but let his eye twitch though as the Sandaime continued to give him an appraising look, as if looking for falsehoods in the blonde's eyes. "I'll have you know that I've studied under three different Fuinjutsu specialists, not including ero-sennin. And after the war ended, I also picked up a few things from a few shinto priests and minor demons that we ran across."

"Minor demons?" Now the old man looked interested and Nanashi didn't know what to think of that.

"Long story. Annoying little bastards, unless you can trick 'em. That's how I got an introduction to the world of demon seals. Far too unstable to use for anything of actual use, but they held some interesting little theories." Nanashi then shrugged before adding, 'But we're getting off topic."

"Ah yes. I have heard the reports from the team I sent with you, and from the doctors in the hospital. Anko-chan is healthy and judging from what the Hyugas working at the hospital have said, her chakra is flowing normally." He seemed to lose the cheer in his voice as he turned a glare on Nanashi. "Any particular reason why you felt like you didn't need to give me a report until three days after the fact?"

Nanashi shrugged. "I was tired. And I didn't really feel like trying to explain the whole process in detail, which I thought you'd want to hear."

The Hokage only seemed amused at that. "I see... Well it doesn't matter. There's a mission for you." The old man handed the paper to Nanashi who began scanning it. "You and Hatake Kakashi have been assigned to this B - rank mission. We have received word that a group of missing nins is setting up an outpost near the Fire-Wind border. As our relations with Sunagakure have been shaky in recent years, the two of you will meet up with a team from Suna in order to investigate this. You will be acting under the Suna team's direction if the settlement exists, and is on their side of the border. Likewise, they will follow Kakashi's directives if the renegades are based on our side of the border."

Nanashi shrugged. "I'll be at the West gate at 0600 hours tomorrow. Make sure the copycat is on time or I'll start burning his books." His eyes then narrowed for a moment before cryptically adding, "Hint of advice old man: it might be best you start keeping a closer eye on the movements of the Kazekage..." And that's all the blonde said before leaving the elder nin's office.

Sarutobi merely took off his hat with a sigh and began reaching for his pipe. Even if the blonde had remained, he wouldn't have answered any of his questions, if his previous behavior was any indication. The blonde had begun a habit of leaving cryptic remarks like that ever since he started performing missions. As if he wanted the Hokage to know about events to come, but not directly tell him what would happen. He understood the man's hesitation, to an extent.

Then again, it would just be like Naruto to force him to see underneath the underneath. If the story he already knew about the time-traveling blonde was any indication, it seemed that was one lesson that Sharingan Kakashi did impart upon his future students.

As the Sandiaime finished stuffing his pipe and lit it, he couldn't help but wonder how the Kazekage would betray them. _Perhaps 'when' would be the better question... Perhaps I should have some of the ANBU begin looking into Suna's operations..._

-/-/-/

Nanashi found himself waiting outside the village gates the next morning, already prepared to leave and idly wondering if he should stop at just burning Kakashi's little books and just torch the man's apartment. _I can't believe that the Hokages, both the old man and Tsunade, put up with his crap. If I had ever made Hokage and he had tried this on me, I would've busted his ass back down to genin in a heartbeat!_

It was only then that he felt Kakashi's chakra signature as the man popped into existence a few feet away with a poof of smoke. The man was dutifully ignoring Nanashi's glare as he continued to read one of his little books. "Ready?"

"Was about four hours ago you lazy bastard. Go visit your dead comrade on your own time." Nanashi growled out, the latter statement under his breath.

If the last member of the Hatake clan heard his statement, he showed no reaction to it. "Good. Let's get going then." He checked the straps on his pack one more time before looking over the edge of his book at Nanashi.

Nanashi was about to nod when he felt a firm hand on his left shoulder. He frowned at that, idly wondering how long the person had been there. _Didn't even hear them, nor sense their chakra... Been a long time since someone got the drop on me like that..._ His musing completely, he went to retaliate, a kunai already in his right hand as he dug his feet into the ground and rotated, his left hand clamping down on the hand that held his shoulder. His reaction was easily dodged and he probably would've received a heavy blow to the face if they were actually fighting. Instead the blonde came face to face at an expressionless Mitarashi Anko. He released her hand and put the kunai away, but made no other movements. _Wonder what the hell she is doing here._

She wasn't wearing her usual net-wear ensemble, instead dressed in a pair of black slacks and a white t-sheet. Her hair had not been pulled into her usual style. She still wore her coat, however it seemed more as an afterthought. Indeed, she gave the impression of a person who had just rolled out of bed for something they declared idiotic. There were dark rings under her eyes, as if she was dead on her feet tired, despite the blank expression she wore on her face.

Finally, after a period of silence that was probably far longer than it seemed, Nanashi felt it prudent to ask. "Yes?"

He had not been expecting any sort of reaction, which in retrospect was quite dumb of him. So he couldn't help but be surprised when she pulled down his mask and kissed him. Although surprised, he didn't stop her for some reason he would later come to ask why. It was quick, but forceful and left a trail of spice at his lips as she pulled back, tugging his mask back up. She then turned around and began walking away, looking back over her shoulder with a smirk. "Hurry up on this one nameless wonder. I owe you a drink, and Mitarashi Anko always pays her debts. In one way or another." She let out a suggestive wink at the blatant innuendo, causing Nanashi to roll his eyes. _Whatever. Could've been worse, she could've actually attacked me._

He shook himself out of his Anko-induced confusion before turning back to Kakashi. He was reading his book again but as the two began heading out, the silver-haired bastard obviously couldn't help himself. "So, will I be hearing about your twos exploits in the next Icha Icha Paradise?"

Nanashi only shot the man a glare that could kill before saying, "If you say anything about this I promise that when I'm through with you, you will wish that Anko had castrated you. I assure you that will be far more pleasant than what I would do."

The cyclopic Jounin merely chuckled at the threat but wisely said nothing else.


	9. Chapter 8

Howdy folks. Here's your next installment. Thanks for all the positive words and reviews. I don't say it often, but I really do appreciate the feedback. Even when I don't get a lot of reviews like someone noted, I still have gotten an insane number of emails from ffnet saying that people have added this story to their favorites, or put it/me on their alert list. That's just as satisfying, and actually gives me the urge to write more.

I know people are waiting for me to catch up to the storyline at the actual start of the Naruto story. I'm getting there, really. Most of this story will be taking place before the anime/manga's beginning and will run alongside that story until a little after the find Tsunade arc. I actually had a very different idea for how Nanashi was going to be in this story but that character 'design' has changed drastically since I actually started writing this. My original idea will still work, but a decent number of things will need to be tweaked.

Enough chatting, onwards and upwards.

* * *

Hatake Kakashi wasn't a man who was disturbed easily. He had seen so much shit in his relatively short life that he knew that eventually he would have psychological problems. He had grown up on the battlefield, and prior to Uchiha Itachi, was the youngest initiate into the ANBU in the history of Konoha. And he had stayed there far longer than it was recommended for someone, using the anonymity it granted to once again run from his teammate's death.

There were reasons that it was only recommended that someone do a stint of three years in the ANBU at once then leave. Staying too long in the shadow ops of Konoha tended to have horrible side-effects on people, leading to early retirement, mental breakdowns, and other nuances that were just plain disturbing to talk about. This little tidbit of information didn't bother him though. After all, he figured he'd be dead long before he ever reached that point. No one lives forever after all, especially shinobi.

But he could not help but feel slightly... more cautious than normal when around this 'Nanashi' character. He knew the man's loyalty was to Konoha, and even seemed to have the ear of the Hokage, despite his near non-existence three months prior. The man was skilled as well, proven beyond a shadow of a doubt in the few missions that he had been sent on with Kakashi. A Fuinjutsu specialist and a combat ninjutsu specialist, an odd combination to say the least and incredibly unsettling to the one-eyed masked shinobi.

Mostly because the blonde reminded him so much of Minato-sensei. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear that the man was related to him. _That can't be it though. Minato-sensei had no family besides our team and Jiraiya-sama..._

Even more unsettling was the fact that his tracking dogs recognized the scent that the blonde gave off. It was virtually identical to one that his dogs had learned a long time ago, shortly after the Kyubi attack. He had still been in ANBU at the time and had been assigned to watch over the boy that his sensei had sealed the demon into. He held no hatred of the boy himself, but simply seeing him was a reminder driven home that his sensei, his second father, was dead due to the rampaging of a raging fox of all things.

That disturbed Kakashi as much as his dogs. No two people have the same scent, or at least the scent that Kakashi's dogs picked up. They were able to distinguish between the normal scents of food, body odor, etc, and pick up on more... esoteric things, such as pheromones and the hidden differences between different blood. However according to Pakkun, the blonde's scent was exactly the same of as the vessel's, something that shouldn't be possible.

He broke out of his musings as he looked over his book towards the blonde who was leading the way towards the border with Wind Country. The blonde moved with the hidden grace that all shinobi carried within themselves, bouncing from tree to tree while keeping an eye out for enemies. The movements were ingrained, and the chakra fluctuation was near-undetectable as expected. After all, one doesn't grow old as a shinobi with gaining a mastery over their own chakra.

"Something wrong copycat?" The blonde asked, glancing over his shoulder back at him, still continuing on their path through the trees without needed to look in front of him. Kakashi shook his head as he put his book away. _Nanashi's secrets are his own. Hokage-sama trusts him, so thats more than enough for me._

Though after that scene at the village gates, he did have to admit he was a little curious. "So, you going to explain Anko's little send-off gift or should I start looking into the rumor-mill when I get back?"

He could've laughed at the glare that was shot his way before the blonde faced forward again. _So much like Minato-sensei..._ The blonde even reacted to teasing in the same way as his old sensei, once again making a vision from years ago ghost over the form of his comrade. He shook his head to clear the superimposed image away in time to notice that the blonde had stopped on a tree branch. He shifted slightly to the left, almost passing the blonde but using his chakra to latch onto the trunk of the tree that held the branch that the blonde was standing on. The sight of the two of them, one standing vertically, the other in a crouch horizontally, must've been mildly amusing to the nearby wildlife.

Kakashi's mind lost its idle thoughts as the blonde stared at him with a blank stare, the man's blue eyes dimming as he seemed to be considering something important. Then his eyes changed slightly, and somehow Kakashi knew that his quip was actually going to be answered, and the answer was going to be serious. The blonde started to say something but stopped for a moment before finally asking, "You still have 'Eyes Only' clearance?"

Kakashi blinked, scratching the side of his face as he thought to himself, trying to remember the last time he had actually been asked about his clearance level. "... I think so..."

Nanashi nodded, tilting his head to the side enough to create an audible crack that sent a shiver down the sharingan-user's spine. "I also assume you are aware of Mitarashi-san's curse seal?" Seeing Kakashi's nod he only finished with a stare. "I removed her curse seal a few days before we got this mission."

Now THAT caught the ex-ANBU's attention, the silver-haired nin turning his eye on the blonde as if trying to find falsehoods in the man's words. _He removed that seal? I thought it was being suppressed by Fuin Hoin, but now he says he actually removed the damn thing? Is that even possible? Supposedly not even Jiraiya-sama had been able to do much more than that, and this guy claims to have removed the seal entirely?_ "..."

"Not a word about this gets out Kakashi. The second word starts getting out about this, that snake is going to be mighty interested in finding out who removed it. And, as ashamed as I am to say it, I'm not as strong as I used to be. I do not think I could defeat Orochimaru as I currently am, and have no intention of dying any time soon, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything about this. Supposedly Hokage-sama was going to be giving this lecture to the others who know of her situation as well. Neither of us is ready to make him aware of my existence yet."

_Scary..._ It was only then that something clicked in Kakashi's mind. "Wait, you're weaker now? Since when?"

Nanashi only gave him a shit-eating grin behind that mask of his before turning back and continuing forward like before. "Since I died. Now hurry up you one-eyed bastard! Story time is over, get moving!" And with that cryptic statement, Kakashi decided he was probably better off not knowing as he pulled out his copy of his favorite novel and continued from where had left off.

-/-/-/

Yuuhi Kurenai was one of the few people in Konoha who held the dubious honor of being friends with one Mitarashi Anko. She had known the volatile kunoichi since they went to the academy together, but in reality the two really didn't start talking until after they had graduated. Kurenai had made it her goal in life to prove that kunoichi could prove to be as dangerous and efficient as their male counterparts, and this attitude had been borne of the ridiculousness that she had seen at that academy. Girls were treated as slow-learners, despite often being far better in control that their male counterparts, and were often treated with kids' gloves, so to speak, by the instructors.

Perhaps this was why when Mitarashi Anko blew through the academy like a tornado she couldn't help but feel a little vindicated. The girl was a raging firestorm, an orphaned street rat who often showed up even the 'prodigies' from the established ninja clans of Konoha. No family to speak of, and only was granted permission to attend the academy through a series of events that even Anko never discussed, even with her. A notorious prankster who even put Umino Iruka to shame, though she had heard in recent days that there was a boy who was fast approaching their level of pranking infamy. When Kurenai had been put on a standard three-man team and Anko was apprenticed to one of the legendary three, Kurenai couldn't help but be a bit jealous, despite her respect for the girl.

That respect would only grow as the two met once again, this time at the Chunnin exams. The exams were to take place at Kusagakure that year, and unlike the exams hosted in Konoha, no team of three was required. After the initial cut in Konoha, only Kurenai and Anko were designated to head to Kusa to represent Konoha. Two of the village's up and coming kunoichi, one a combat specialist trained under the legendary Orochimaru, and the other a genjutsu and stealth specialist. Kurenai had still held her stubborn streak back then, and fully intended to get through the exam on her own, asserting her own independence to all those academy instructors who never thought she would make a true shinobi. Perhaps she wanted to show up her purple-haired comrade as well, a little lingering trace of jealousy present.

Mitarashi Anko would have none of that. And Kurenai learned what the academy instructors always whispered to each other about firsthand. That Mitarashi Anko was practically an uncontrollable force of nature itself; a localized man-made disaster area that no one was safe from. One does not simply meet Mitarashi Anko.

No, one _survives_ meeting Mitarashi Anko.

Kurenai had been totally taken off-guard by the happy and carefree girl she had met at the village gates that day. A girl, that if no one bothered to look deeper, would only appear to be a common teenager, her head filled with idealistic love stories and enjoying nothing more than a pint of ice cream. Blunt, crude and energetic; Kurenai swore that simply listening to Anko chatter on had been more taxing on her endurance, both physically and mentally, than the actual trip to Kusagakure. It didn't help that she couldn't stop herself from actually liking the girl and responding in kind. Thus began a very odd friendship. One that began out of one-sided respect and pride yet to this day, Kurenai still knew that Anko was her closest friend and that her friend felt the same way.

After all, when Orochimaru had left and her purple-haired friend had been all but devastated, it had been Kurenai that had prevented the girl from taking her own life. She still had the scar on her hand where she had grabbed the blade.

It had been Anko who had helped Kurenai ease her grief at the anniversary of the deaths of the crimson-eyed illusionist's parents, through the liberal use of sake that neither of them should have been old enough to obtain and the occasional hug.

It had been Kurenai that all but made Anko immune to nothing short of the most powerful genjutsu in preparations for her first Jounin examination. Even as a middle-level chunnin, Kurenai's illusions were particularly hellish according to her friend.

It was Anko who prior to a week and a half ago had been helping Kurenai prepare for the upcoming Jounin examinations, though an even more liberal use of taijutsu training that probably would make Maito Gai fall in love with the two kunoichi.

Thus the situation we find our crimson-eyed genjutsu specialist. She found herself once again knocking on her friend's door, but receiving no answer once again. Kurenai couldn't help but sigh again, already leaving her friend's apartment behind. _Where the heck is she? She's not on a mission, and she hasn't been to her usual hangouts._ It was only through the casual questioning of several of the village's dango vendors that allowed her to learn that Anko was still in Konoha, yet seeming to not be hounding their every step like she usual does. They statements only caused the woman to smile, her friend's dango addiction was amusing to her on a level she couldn't really convey.

She eventually found the woman laying back on a grassy hill outside training center 44, a.k.a. the Forest of Death. Anko was one of the only people who frequently used that training area, as even seasoned Jounin could find themselves dead if they were not careful in there. Usually one needed permission from the Hokage in order to use it, but Anko usually jumped the fence whenever she felt like it. She had been chastised on it numerous times by the Sandaime, but the woman merely shrugged and did whatever she wanted. In a way, it suited the woman's impetuous nature. Anko was straightforward, blunt, and not modest in the slightest. Kurenai often found herself compensating for her friend's eccentricities in her own behavior, and there were times where she wondered whose eccentricities were balancing out whose.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Kurenai walked towards her, already raising an eyebrow as she studied her best friend. Instead of Anko's usual scandalous clothing, she was wearing a simple pair of khaki shorts and a light blue t-shirt. A small purple scarf was wrapped around her neck, hiding the seal Kurenai knew scarred her friend for life. To this day, Anko had never let anyone in enough to ever even have a chance of hurting her that much again. It sometimes surprised Kurenai that after everything the woman had been through that she still trusted Kurenai as much as she seemed to.

Laying on the ground next to Anko were three things: a large sake bottle, a plate of dango on skewers, and a single, untouched, sake serving dish. The snake mistress was humming a little tune to herself, her eyes closed and both hands laced behind her head. Kurenai was somewhat surprised at the whole scene; she had not seen her old friend so relaxed in ages. So surprised by the sight, she almost missed Anko's voice. "Hey 'Nai-chan. What's up?"

Kurenai walked over and sat down next to her friend, her eyebrow still raised. She ignored the pet name that Anko still called her by, a relic from that historic exam they took toegether. "Perhaps I should be the one asking that Anko. What has Konoha's most unpredictable kunoichi done recently to be so relaxed? And without her exhibitionist gear as well?" Anko's clothing had been a running gag between the two kunoichi for years. Anko often joked to Kurenai that if she could get away with never waring clothing she probably wouldn't. Kurenai usually told her that the Hokage probably wouldn't mind, but she would probably attract Jiraiya-sama back to Konoha and if she did that Kurenai would have to find some way to _reward_ her. Her friend knew full well of what she thought of perverts, and knew the joy she took in enacting female justice.

Anko merely chuckled, her eyes still shut as she reached out for the sake bottle. She poured some into the dish and handed the dish to Kurenai, already taking a sip herself from the bottle directly. Kurenai took the dish and took a small sip. She had learned years ago that trying to refuse a drink from the snake-using kunoichi was a recipe for destruction. Anko shrugged as she pulled the bottle back, "Dunno, just in a good mood for once."

Kurenai only gave her friend a smile, raising her eyebrow again slightly. "And I'm Hokage-sama's mother. Seriously, what's up Anko?"

Her friend finally opened her eyes and sat up to meet her gaze. An enigmatic smile crossed the woman's face, shocking Kurenai as simply how much _younger_ her friend looked at that moment, as if years had simply melted away from the last time Kurenai had seen her. Without so much as saying another word, the purple-haired kunoichi pulled back her scarf slightly to reveal her now-sealless neck her. Anko gasped, dropping her sake dish in shock. Anko quickly caught it and chuckled as she replaced the scarf and took a sip from the sake still in the dish. "Careful 'Nai-chan. Don't you go and be wasting my celebratory sake. I've been saving this bottle for years."

Kurenai ignored the joke, or perhaps she simply couldn't process the woman's quip. "How... when?"

Anko pushed the sake saucer into Kurenai's hands again, reaching for the bottle and pouring a little more in for the crimson-eyed illusionist before taking a drink from the bottle. "Hokage-sama said I shouldn't talk about it too much, lest that bastard find out, but yeah. It's gone." The woman smiled once again, her gaze shifting past Kurenai's shoulder as if seeing something off in the distance. "For the first time since... well, you know, I feel... free? No that's not it..." Kurenai, still stunned by the revelation of what had occurred almost missed the few words that followed. "I feel clean... as if I've finally gotten the chance to soak in a hot springs for the first time in years."

Kurenai put the dish down and reached over and hugged her friend, a smile on her own face. _Thats so good. I'm so happy for you Anko._ Of course, Anko would never accept such sappy words without some sort of painful repercussion, but they were left unsaid as Kurenai embraced her friend lightly.

At least until Anko's michivous side made itself known again, her voice playful and carrying that undertone of seduction that all kunoichi were taught in the academy. "Careful there 'Nai-chan. You're giving a real show to that rugged Jounin you've been fancying for a while. Hey Asuma." She said the last statement, a little louder and her voice returning to its normal overly cheerful tone. Kurenai flinched back from her friend as if she had been made of hot coal, her facing burning at the woman's implication as she looked in the direction Anko was waving in. Only to find nothing and to hear her friend's laughter echoing loudly.

Kurenai only glared at her friend before saying, "You're a real bitch sometimes, you know that?"

Anko only winked at her with a grin. "Are you kidding? If that wouldn't get his attention, I don't know what would!"

_Must not murder friend... Must not murder friend... _The litany echoed in Kurenai's mind as she watched as her friend continued laughing. Still glaring, Kurenai finally scoffed. "You jerk."

"Bitch."

"Alcoholic."

"Ice Queen."

"Slut."

"Oi oi, I'll have you know that you've been to bed with more men than me 'Nai-chan." Anko said, still wearing that shit-eating grin that Kurenai had come to both love and hate.

Kurenai definitely glared at that one. "I've slept with two men in my life." She hissed out, her face flushing at Anko's implication. Her face then twisted as she realized she was the first to lose momentum in their little verbal battle.

"And I'm a virgin. Deal with it." Anko said cheekily, with no degree of pride or shame in her voice. Anko was the only person Kurenai knew who would discuss such things so freely. Even more so since Kurenai knew she was lying about that little tidbit. She had been on several missions with her fellow kunoichi that had required such things from the snake mistress. Anko had taken it all with a grain of salt, but secretly she was glad that Anko had done it so she did not have to.

Kurenai grinned, "I call bullshit." Anko's expression of feigned shock was amusing but Kurenai merely sighed, resigned to losing another verbal scuffle with her friend. If she didn't stop this now, Anko was more than capable of keeping it going for hours and right now Kurenai really just wanted some answers. "Enough with the wise-ass remarks. How?"

Anko cast a quick glance around the clearing as she sat up. She tied the purple scarf around her neck again and answered, "You ever see a guy in town that looks disturbing like Yondaime. Goes by the name Nanashi?"

Kurenai's eyes widened at hearing the name of the enigmatic Special Jounin she had gone on mission with a few weeks back. The man had been quiet, and seemingly nervous around her, Asuma and Kakashi. But not as if they were threats, but rather with some other emotion in mind. "Blonde hair, wears a mask all the time?"

Anko nodded, taking another drink. "Turns out the bastard is a Fuinjutsu specialist, and apparently knows how to remove the seal. Hell of a seal though, disturbing as all hell."

Kurenai blinked at that. "If it was enough to disturb _you_, then I probably don't want to know much about it."

"Yeah. One of the medics that was with us almost lost his lunch. Kinda pathetic really, considering they're supposed to be cutting people up and gluing them back together." Anko shook her head at the memory. "So yeah, its gone now..."

Kurenai leaned back on her haunches as took a sip out of the dish that Anko had handed back to her, trying to come to realization. "... I had a mission with him and a few others a few weeks ago. Seemed capable enough, but his behavior was odd. Said he used to look for traitors within Konoha and deal with them." She then cast a skeptical look at Anko. "And you say he looks like the Yondaime beneath that mask?"

Anko scoffed. "Like a cross between him and the nine-tails brat. Fuck, he even smiles like the kid does, and he's got the same whisker marks. If I didn't know any better I'd say they were clan markers like what the Inuzuka have."

Despite being well past the age where gossiping was casually accepted, Kurenai couldn't help but smirk. "Oh, you think there's something there?"

Anko shook her head, the playful tone in Kurenai's voice completely flying over her head, much to her friend's chagrin. "Nah, don't think so. Lot of other weird things 'bout him though."

"Such as?"

Anko took another drink before continuing, enjoying the light buzz she was beginning to feel. " His backstory doesn't seem to add up at times, as if he's making it up as he goes along. If what you said before is right, then he mostly worked alone when studying his targets. But when I asked him about how he knew how to remove the seal, he gave me this story about himself that definitely did not fit _that_ picture. Supposedly something about one of Konoha's bloodlines running to my bastard of a sensei because of the seal. But if that had happened, then we would've definitely heard about it."

Kurenai frowned at that. "That is odd... you think that whichever clan it was might've kept it quiet?"

Anko scoffed at that. "From a whole village of shinobi, come on 'Nai-chan. No clan is _that _disciplined. Even that stick in the ass bastard Hiashi would've raised a stink." Anko shook her head, "No, something doesn't add up. I was curious so I did a little digging before they released me from the hospital. According to their records, except for one stay that occurred a few months ago, he had never even been in for a checkup. It's as if he didn't exist in the village prior to that. Hell, even ANBU are forced to undergo regular examinations that are documented." She commented dryly, letting her suspicions of the shinobi come forth. It's not that she didn't trust the man, but the facts were somewhat odd. She only mentioned it to her friend because Kurenai was much better at figuring out puzzles than her.

Kurenai gave her friend a speculative look before a small grin covered her face. _It couldn't be..._ "It's not that strange. There's nothing about his story that could be disproved by anyone other than Hokage-sama. And its obvious that 'Nanashi' isn't his actual name."

Anko all but pouted when her logic was shot down by her friend. She then noticed Kurenai's little smile and raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly are you so amused by?"

"Nothing really. It just seems that you're interested in him." Kurenai said with a slight chuckle, her voice practically dripping with undertones of a different sort.

Undertones that went completely unnoticed by her friend. Anko rolled her eyes at the comment, "Well duh. I kinda owe him big time for this. I think I'm entitled to be a little curious, all things considered."

Kurenai blinked for a moment before letting out a sigh. _Never mind then. So much for that possible source of amusement._ Her smile returned however as she stood up, finishing off the sake in her small dish. "I think a true celebration is in order regardless, snake girl."

Anko only raised an eyebrow at that. It was usually her that suggested such a thing. After, she was the border-line alcoholic of the two. "Well, well, well. If I didn't know any better I'd say that little 'Nai-chan is looking to do some drinking tonight.:

Kurenai laughed at her friend's expression and mocking words before helping the woman up. "I was thinking some dinner too; I haven't eaten since this morning."

Anko could help but smirk as that, placing her hand on Kurenai's backside and stepping in close so that their faces were almost touching. Her voice once again dripped into a more sensual tone. "A date it is then. Better be careful 'Nai-chan, or you'll end up making that little crush of yours think you swing the other way."

Kurenai didn't even react to the other's joke this time, short of rolling her eyes. "You're horrible, you know that?"

Anko stepped back with that shit-eating grin on her face, causing Kurenai to smile herself. "I am what I am kid. But in all seriousness, dinner sounds great. I could kill for some good sushi right now." Her face then adopted a more stern visage before she added, "And don't think that you've gotten out of telling me about your bearded wonder. If you don't start making moves on your own, I'll have to get... creative."

Kurenai chuckled at her friend's shifting moods and enthusiasm for life, but also couldn't help but feel a little nervous at that declaration. _Nanashi, whoever you are, you may have just made dealing with Anko a little more interesting... Here's hoping its for the best._

-/-/-/

Nanashi only sighed as he watched Kakashi deal with the group that Suna had sent to assist them in the missing-nin cleanup. When he had first heard about the mission from the old man, his mind already began wondering if this was a setup for the attack that would take place at that fateful chunnin exam in the future. However, according to Pakkun and Kakashi's other summons, it seemed as if it was a group formerly from Ame instead of disguised Suna nins. It didn't mean that they weren't disguised Suna nins, but it somewhat comforted the blonde for some reason. He half expected, half hoped, he would actually see Gaara on the mission, until he shook his head at the improbability of such an event. _Besides, he'd just as soon try to kill me as talk to me. Actually, probably more likely to kill me._

He merely shook his head as Kakashi began heading back towards him. He had noticed the man watching him carefully ever since he let it slip about Anko's seal. He probably shouldn't have told his future self's sensei to be, but he trusted the man even if Kakashi didn't trust 'Nanashi'. "What's the scoop?"

Kakashi only gave the blonde a level gaze. "One of them' has some sort of vulture summon. His summon confirmed what Pakkun and the others told me of the shinobi in the settlement. Judging from the chakra levels Pakkun said he picked up, its a group of high-genin to mid-chunnin level shinobi."

Nanashi frowned at that. "How many?"

"About twenty to forty. Much more than we were led to believe. We may be all be jounin but their numbers are worrisome, especially if they're used to working together."

Nanashi nodded in agreement. "The settlement is our side of the border. If I remember the mission parameters correctly, that means you're in charge. What's our attack plan?"

Kakashi gave the blonde an amused look. "You consistently insult me and/or make cracks about my masculinity and now you're asking me for orders?"

Nanashi shrugged. "I said you're a pervert who needs to have his ass handed to him by angry kunoichi on a daily basis. I never said you weren't a good commander, former ANBU-san." He let that last statement slip out with a hint of amused sarcasm in his voice.

Kakashi took the barb in stride. "Let's hear your thoughts."

Nanashi closed his eyes for a moment as he leaned against a tree trunk, crossing his arms across his chest. After about five minutes of silence, he opened his eyes. "Approximately how large is the settlement?"

Kakashi raised his eyebrow at the odd question. "About 75 square meters, give or take."

Nanashi grabbed his chin in thought at that. "I could try... no, the field would require more preparation than time allows... and stabilizing such a field would probably..."

The thoughtful tone in the blonde's voice intrigued Kakashi. He had been around the special jounin long enough to realize that the man easily knew his limits, and didn't waste time boasting. Odds are if he had a plan, it was feasible. "What are you thinking?"

Nanashi gave his sensei from his past an even look. "Shinkuu no Shoheki." Kakashi only gave him a blank look before he explained. "Its a hybrid ninjutsu-fuinjutsu technique I developed a while back. Create the barrier edge-points and link them via a thread of wind-based chakra. Sucks the air out of the enclosed field until those inside suffocate due to the lack of oxygen. It's a slow and painless way to die, as those inside the barrier aren't even aware that the oxygen level is dropping."

Kakashi gave him a skeptical look. "That sounds complicated on a level I can't begin to describe. And impossible if you don't mind me saying."

Nanashi shrugged. "It drains chakra faster than you would ever believe. Air is not the most cooperative state of matter to work with. Hell, even on small fields it uses a good portion of my chakra. To use it with a field that size is probably not possible with our current team. Last time I performed it, it was over the course of four hours with a team of about ten shinobi, six who were jounin with exceptional chakra control. Not to mention the place we used it was probably a quarter of the size of the settlement." He then shook his head, "Forget I mentioned it."

Internally Nanashi was cursing himself for even mentioning it. The jutsu was complicated, but nothing beyond his abilities. He had lied about the jutsu requiring a team of shinobi. It simply required insane amounts of chakra, and with the Kyubi the blonde had previously been able to use the fox's near unlimited chakra to fully maintain the barrier. Even if it did knock him unconscious as soon as he released it. _Though it would be worth looking into to modify it to work with a team of shinobi instead of just one focus point. Might actually make the jutsu useable to someone who doesn't have a demon lord sealed in them..._

Kakashi only smiled beneath his mask, his eye curving into that familiar U-shape that Nanashi had come to hate in his youth. "Now that your impossible idea is out of the way, I don't feel bad about mine!"

Nanashi only rolled his eyes. "Glad to see I'm fulfilling my purpose as your court jester. Perverted bastard." He muttered that last part under his breath.

"Good, I wouldn't want you to feel ignored. It's so hard to find a good source of amusement these days."

"Keep laughing cyclops. Keep in mind I'm more than capable of shoving a shock tag where the sun doesn't shine." Kakashi only continued his silly grin before losing the smile and begin to lay out his plan.

-/-/-/

Sarutobi let off a smile of amusement as he watched the boy eat like he hadn't for days. _Perhaps, he hasn't..._ The man crushed that depressing thought, making sure that it didn't affect his smile as he calmly ate his own bowl of Miso ramen. The boy simply would keep going until the bowl was done and then, knowing his appetite, ask more more. It was really quite a sight to watch Naruto practically inhale the salty noodles; one that never ceased to amuse and amaze him. _Where does it all go? Must be some sort of compression technique being used._

The old man who ran the hole in the wall ramen stand, _Teuchi was it_..., merely chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. "Slow down kid. Wouldn't want you choking on me now. I'd lose most of my business!" He said with a hearty laugh, prompting a small chuckle from Sarutobi and an embarrassed grin from the blonde boy.

The elder almost retired ninja was pleased that the boy was growing like any other child. The fears that the seal wouldn't be strong enough to hold back the demon's influence was one that had been ever present in his mind from the moment he placed the infant under his protection. Those fears had been mostly assuaged when Naruto's older self showed up, allowing the Sandaime to let that final sliver of worry into the boy's safety slip away. Although the boy's mental and emotional development was obviously going to affected, after talking to Nanashi at least he knew the boy would turn out mostly okay. _That's all one can really ask for with shinobi I suppose._

He was actually rather surprised that Nanashi hadn't taken a more active interest in... 'his' life. He had expected some sort of contact between the two, and in a way was hoping for it, if only to better prepare Naruto for when he became a genin. However it seemed to be a moot point, as Naruto had no idea that someone else even lived in his apartment complex, let alone know Nanashi.

Nanashi had been in Konoha for roughly three months now. He had built up quite a mission profile; one such that Sarutobi held no qualms about the man's impromptu promotion from non-existent to Special Jounin. And with how he removed Anko's curse seal a week ago, he had proved his mastery over a subject that very few in Konoha, no in all the elemental countries, understood. He held himself to others as a combat ninjustu specialist, very rarely actually mentioning his specialty. If his sucessful mission statistic kept rising at the rate it was, his visibility would actually begin to cause a problem, as more people outside of the mission office were starting to become aware of his existence. That old warmonger Danzo had even been making moves to find out more, not that he was aware that Sarutobi knew this. _Thank kami for Tenzou and the others. Though I have the feeling that if any of Danzo's dogs ever approached him that he would bury them before they could even say anything._

He shook his head slightly, dispelling his thoughts of the energetic boy's older self. He found himself often treating the young orphan to ramen whenever he had free time. Or rather, whenever he could free time up for the boy. He honestly liked the little blonde, and although neither Naruto nor his older self would ever really know, they were both the spitting image of their father. Although, Nanashi was probably a little more jaded and sarcastic than Minato ever was. The boy was simply one of the most happy-go-lucky children he had ever seen, and the boy never failed to bring a smile to his face. _Well, at least when he's not doing some elaborate prank. Though considering that he wears a bright orange 'HERE I AM' outfit, I suppose it could count for stealth practice..._

The old man sighed as he finally broke out of his musings and finished his bowl, placing the chopsticks across the top. As much as he wished he could just let the boy enjoy himself, he had come down here for another purpose. "Naruto, there is something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Yeah, yeah, what is it Oji-san?" The blonde asked, a little annoyance present, as if Sarutobi was trying to come between him and his precious ramen. The old man had to fight a chuckle at the expression on the boy's face.

"Your birthday is coming up again soon..." The Hokage began, noticing the wince on the face of the ramen vendor. _An odd reaction, but from what I can tell he genuinely likes the boy so I doubt its an issue._

Naruto's face seemed to even out, his hands lowering the bowl he had been slurping broth out of. It only lasted for a second before that grin came back full force. It saddened Sarutobi that the boy's mask was so well-honed that at times he honestly couldn't tell if the boy was faking or not. "Hey yeah, that's right! Teach me a jutsu then oji-san!"

He only shook his head in fond exasperation before placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "We'll see. However, I felt I should ask that you remain in that apartment on that day." The boy's smile faded at that as he looked at the ground with a pout, and... a little guilt? _It's not his fault... I'm so sorry child._ "It's not your fault Naruto. You're a good child, and I'm sure that the villagers will come around one day."_ Actually, if what Nanashi said is true, they never fully get the chance... Stop that, don't think about it._

"It'll all fit into place once I take your job oji-san." The blonde replied back, his grin returning and a hint of mischief in his voice.

Sarutobi only smiled at that. "I'll see what I can do about getting you a jutsu scroll that won't be too dangerous for you. But I also wanted to mention to you that if you have any problems on that day, you should seek out the man who lives on the floor below you in your apartment."

Naruto only looked confused at that. "Someone actually lives in the same building as me?" His voice expressed his disbelief, sending a pain through the elder man's heart.

"Yes... He goes by the name Nanashi. He actually has been living in the apartment exactly below yours for about three months. He's a shinobi who has served Konoha for many years."

"Really? Is he strong? Can he take you old man?" The boy's enthusiasm was sparked anew, already eager to learn more about this mysterious shinobi who he never knew about.

"Well... I don't know about that." Sarutobi said with a grin. _Who knows how strong he really is? According to the parts he's let slip, before he lost the Kyubi he had been at least Kage-level. With that loss, who really knows where his true strength is, considering I still have the feeling he holds back when on missions with others._ "But he is very strong. He's a master of ninjutsu techniques, and various other more... unique disciplines."

The boy only looked confused, a thoughtful look on his face. "Like what?"

Sarutobi only let out a sigh. "Perhaps it would better to ask him. He's kept himself busy on missions and trains almost nonstop in his time off. It's not surprising to me that you're not aware of him." He shook his head, returning to his original point. "Anyway, just be careful during the festival. If you need help with anything that night, ask Nanashi-san. He's on a mission now but probably will be back by then. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to assist you."

Naruto only flashed the man an akward salute, with the opposite hand, with a grin. "Sure thing oji-san." Sarutobi only shook his head once again with fond exasperation before standing and asking the ramen stand owner to send a bill to the tower for his and Naruto's meal.He then began walking back to the tower at a slow pace, already dreading the paperwork in his future.

* * *

Began laying some groundwork for some Nanashi-Naruto interaction, like some of you have been hoping for. I have plans for this, but nothing like what most of you are probably expecting (at least I hope I'm not that predictable.)

New Jutsu:

Shinkuu no Shoheki (Vacuum Barrier) - Hybrid Fuinjutsu, ninjutsu technique. Requires a mastery of wind-based chakra and an enormous amount of chakra. Meant to be used in subtle kills for large groups. The barrier's 'edges' are created by linking specially crafted seals via wind-based chakra 'threads' and powered through one of those edges from Nanashi. Slowly sucks out t he air contained within the barrier, causing those within to eventually fall unconscious and suffocate in their sleep over a time limit that is directly dependent on the size of the field within the barrier. Currently is only in a form where one person powers the barrier, however Nanashi plans to try to make modifications so that it can be powered by a small group instead as without Kyubi's near unlimited chakra supply, he is no longer able to use this technique. Requires an enormous amount of chakra and incredible control in order to keep the field active and stable long enough to be effective. A-rank technique.


	10. Chapter 9

Wow, finally back. Sorry for the delay in updating folks. I'm going to be starting a new job in the near future and had to move back home, so time to write has been sketchy at best. Then when I was about to post this update, last sunday or so, I found myself distinctly unsatisfied with how it had come out. This forced a massive re-write of this installment, and I'm still not sure if I like this version better or not. I couldn't really find a satisfying cut-off point either so be prepared for a decently long read for this chapter. I also went back and replaced all references to the name for the Yondaime I had been using (Kazama Arashi) with the Yondaime's actual name (Namikaze Minato).

One of my readers (and I thank SeikoTuNeR for bringing this up) has mentioned that I haven't cleared defined what Nanashi's strength is, comparatively. His distinct issue, and one that I find myself agreeing with the more I think about it, is that after Nanashi all but trounces Kakashi, he goes on to barely defeat Anko, who is significantly weaker than the Copy-nin. And before, he was able to match Orochimaru with a sharingan (granted this was with Kyubi). I am going to be trying to be nailing down Nanashi's strength level into something more stable in the future.

Once again, thanks for all the feedback. I am looking for a beta-reader for this story as well. I'm not sure when I'm going to get the chance to work on this again, but if anyone is willing, drop me a pm or leave a review saying so.

And I'll drop a plug. Don't do this very often but recently came across a story by MockV called A Twist of Chance that has been very entertaining. Typically not a fan of the whole Naruto finding his long lost family thing, but the author has done a very good job with this one.

* * *

October tenth was an auspicious event in the village hidden in the leaves. The anniversary of the defeat of the demon fox was celebrated on this day, and had been every year since its defeat. The village seemed to forget that this was also the day that it lost its greatest shinobi to date, caught up in the festivities. Then again, according to those who actually knew the Yondaime Hokage on a personal level, the man would have rather have his people celebrating his victory rather than mourn his passing. 

The village turned it into a full day event. Before the sun even rose, shop vendors would begin setting up in preparation for the day's rush of potential customers. Rolling out once a year merchandise such as Kyubi miniatures that would later be destroyed, or mocked up ANBU masks for children to wear as they played ninja. Entertainers began scoping out the best places to stake their claim for later in the day when the crowds were out, so they would have the best chance to rake in the money from the onlookers. Food stands would begin opening up, and most praying they would be able to keep up with the crowds.

It was a festival of sorts during the day. It also had its night-only events, such as a fireworks display and a giant bonfire that people would often stoke by throwing in objects depicting the fox, including the miniatures that many would buy during the day solely for that purpose. The bars would stay open all night, and prices would be slashed for one-night only, leading it to becoming the biggest drinking night of the year.

Uzumaki Naruto, now eleven years old, only glared out at the crowds he could see from his window. He understood the importance of today to the village, but it was somewhat disheartening that his birthday had to be on the same day. He wanted to be able to enjoy the festival like everyone else, but the old man had told him that it wasn't safe for him outside today. Naruto didn't understand why though. Well, he understood _why_. It had to do with the incident a few years back when he got caught by one of the mobs and had the stuffing beat out of him. What he didn't understand was why the villagers did that.

He shook his head, as if trying to dispel the horrible thoughts. He turned his attention back to the scroll the Hokage had given him as a gift. It wasn't a jutsu scroll, which was disappointing to the technique-hungry academy student. He was tempted to just put it with the rest of his scrolls from the academy but apparently the old man had expected this reaction out of him and forced him to read at least a little of it before doing so. The blonde was glad he listened to the old man for once, as while it wasn't a jutsu scroll, it did talk in general terms about different elemental jutsus. He had a little trouble reading it and understanding it, but it was interesting nonetheless.

He cast another glance outside and finally decided that if he couldn't go to the festival, he might as well work on his kunai throwing in the woods like usual. He packed up his gear quickly and shoved the scroll into his jacket as well before heading out.

He never expected that by doing so, he would making his life far more interesting than it had to be. In more ways than one.

-/-/-/

Nanashi only sighed as he watched the sun begin to set as he and Kakashi finally reached the gates of Konoha. The mission had taken longer than expected, mostly due to Kakashi's overly meticulous plan. Though incredibly effective, actually allowing the small team to take out the missing nins one by one without being noticed for a long time, it did take a horrendously long amount of time. Dealing with the aftermath with the Suna-nins had been, in the words of a genius he once knew, troublesome. "Finally."

He hadn't expected Kakashi to hear him, but the man responded none the less. "Indeed." Nanashi looked over his shoulder to see the man's book of choice once again in his hands, his visible eye scanning it as usual. "I'll report in to the Hokage. You're free to go."

Nanashi only raised an eyebrow before letting a sarcastic remark fly. "Gee, thanks Captain." He only shook his head as Kakashi nodded and vanished with the shunshin no jutsu. "Whatever. I'll just go get some ramen and head home."

It didn't take long for the masked blonde to realize what was going on. Although he had never taken part in the Kyubi festival when he was younger, Nanashi had seen enough of the signs to realize that it was October tenth. _Well, happy birthday to me..._ He thought to himself sarcastically, his plan for the evening now including a stop to buy some sake for himself so he could toast to his dead comrades, like he usually did on this day since the beginning of the war that destroyed Konoha. Though, with him being here in the past now, perhaps that was a bit hasty.

_Hell, the people I knew are dead. These may be the same people, but I sure as hell don't know them..._ He shook the thought away and continued on his trek towards the one and only Ichiraku Ramen stand. He found himself eating there almost as often as his younger self, who he took great care to avoid eating near when they did happen to be there together. In a way, he was glad that he was so unobservant as a child, otherwise the child could have made his life... interesting. _As if cheating death and warping to the past isn't interesting enough..._

He was broken out his musings by the sound of an incoming shuriken. He reacted instinctively, bringing out a kunai with his right hand as he sidestepped the spinning missile. He reacted just in time, bringing his kunai up to block a strike from another knife, the steel grinding against each other enough to create small sparks. Nanashi only frowned at his attacker before deciding that retaliation was in order. So in turn, he powered his way through the kunai deadlock and closed in on his opponent, left hand already trailing into a bastardization of a classic counter-strike from the horse-style of taijutsu. He ignored the smirk that was on his attacker's face as the fist impacted into their jaw. The body poofed out of existence, just as Nanashi had expected. He began looking around, wondering when the next attack would come, tightening up his stance.

What he did not take into account was that the match was already over. It was brought to his attention very quickly when a familiar voice whispered into his ear. "My win this time, nameless wonder."

Nanashi remained silent at first, but did drop his stance into a more relaxed position. He was somewhat annoyed that he had let himself fall for a move that he himself had used against the demon of the mist as a child, but it was kind of hard to argue with the woman when a kunai was placed against his throat. "Seems so. I must be more tired than I thought, if you were able to get the drop on me like that."

Anko only pressed the kunai a little tighter to his neck, almost enough to draw blood. "Or you just suck."

"I do recall kicking your ass quite thoroughly not too long ago." He shot back, though there was no irritation in his voice from her movement. He had suffered worse before at the hands of women. If anything, his voice showed his amusement with the situation. He then paused for a moment before rubbing salt into the wound, "While I was recovering from serious wounds no less..."

Anko only grinned sadistically, most of which was lost on her captive but judging from the reactions from the other people in the square, Nanashi could picture it. "That reminds me, I believe I did promise something about castration..."

He only raised an eyebrow, seeing yet another opening. "Ah yes; your strange fascination with my testicles. You know Anko-san, if you want to ask me out on a date, there are better ways to do so. Talking about a man's nut-sack is far from the most elegant way of doing so."

"It's not so much as wanting to ask you out as I enjoy causing immense amounts of pain to irritating men. Even Ibiki says I enjoy my job far too much at headquarters."

"Oi, you'd go that far? You are a devil, aren't you? Crotch injuries are supposed to be a last resort."

She only rolled her eyes, ignoring the looks of amusement from her companions as she continued to bicker with the blonde. _This is fun. 'Nai-chan never lets me go on for too long, and he's actually keeping up._ "Oh you men and your silly dick sympathy..."

Nanashi was about to let another sarcastic remark slip out but someone beat him to it. "Man, you two fight like you're already married. It's just plain freaky." Came the amused voice of the senbon-chewing shinobi. Nanashi looked towards Genma's voice to see a small group gathered. He recognized Kurenai, Genma, Hayate and Yugao waiting there.

He only raised an eyebrow at the odd selection of shinobi before smirking beneath his mask. "Don't you know flirting when you see it man-whore?"

Yugao couldn't hide her amused smile at the blonde, or perhaps it was twitch that was forming in the serpentine kunoichi's eye. "Odd way of flirting."

"I call this whipping a little punk's ass." Anko shot back, her grin not leaving her face.

"Please, as if you could beat me."

"What do you call this then?"

"A temporary restraint if you will."

"Tch, you don't even know what true restraints are nameless wonder."

"Somehow I always figured you were a handcuffs and bondage kind of woman. Kinky."

The group merely watched as the two continued bickering like children and pretending that Anko wasn't holding an instrument of death to the masked shinobi's throat. Kurenai only watched the scene in growing horror before speaking out loud enough to send chuckles through the group. "By kami, there's two of them..."

She almost shrieked when she felt a hand drape itself around her shoulder and she turned to see Nanashi standing there, his eyes crinkled into slits. _When did he get behind me? _She had the impression he was smiling beneath that mask of his as he said, "Oh, far more than that Kurenai-san."

The group stared at the sudden appearance of another blonde when Anko scoffed and slit the clone's throat. She merely glared at the blonde with a small pout on her face as the one she had been holding collapsed into a puddle of water. "Oi, shitstain! How paranoid are you?"

Nanashi merely raised an eyebrow as he released Kurenai and placed his hands behind his head. "Considering you seem to be picking up the habit of attacking me without warning, I'd say its a pretty damn good thing I am."

Anko's eyebrow twitched as the blonde she was looking at poofed away, revealing that it was yet another clone. She almost lashed out when she felt a hand on her shoulder from behind. "Now, now, now. No need for that woman." Anko had to fight at that point to keep her eye from twitching violently. _When did he...?_ Nanashi only chuckled to himself before releasing the viper in the guise of a purple-haired female. He took a few steps back, a cautionary measure of course, to look back at the gathered group. "Well, this is an odd little group here. What's up?"

Ironically it was the one he had interacted with the least that spoke up first. The crimson-eyed illusonist that had acted like a surrogate mother to his deceased girlfriend, _stop it, she's not dead,_ spoke up. "We were just heading to get some to eat and drink. Would you care to join us, Nanashi-san?"

He grinned beneath his mask before casting a look towards the woman who was all but twitching in anger at him. "That depends. Is she gonna try to kill me again?"

"That's sounding better and better each passing second..." Anko angrily muttered, looking away from the blonde and crossing her arms.

Kurenai only chuckled at her friend's anger before placing a hand on the woman's shoulder while looking at Nanashi. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

Nanashi gazed at the setting sun, trying to guess the time before shrugging. "Sure. I was just going to get some ramen from Ichiraku's anyway. And drop the honorifics, its just Nanashi Kurenai-san." She woman seemed amused at his request, while using the same honorific with her name.

Genma shifted the senbon in his mouth and asked with a raised eyebrow, his voice dripping in disbelief. "You actually eat that salty garbage."

Nanashi all but glared at the man in response. "You dare speak such blasphemy?" He then shook his head, as if trying to impart a life-changing lesson to an uncultured youth. "You obviously have never had Ichiraku ramen then. A gift from the culinary gods, it is. I will forgive your sin of ignorance in this matter one time, my son."

Genma only rolled his eyes. "Whatever blondie."

Yugao spoke up again, "We were thinking more along the lines of the bar, and getting some grub there."

Nanashi thought for a moment before shrugging. "Was planning on getting some sake tonight anyway. Lead the way."

As the group walked towards their destination, Nanashi hung back a little to watch their interactions. It appeared that Anko had decided to just ignore him completely, and she focused on talking to Kurenai-sensei. He actually raised an eyebrow at that, somewhat surprised. _Judging from the signals being sent... they're very close friends. Odd how Kurenai-sensei never talked about Anko during the war..._ He turned his attention of the kunoichi duo to see Genma, Hayate, and Yugao talking comfortably. For a moment he wondered if they had been on a genin team together and if that was why they were so familiar with each other. Hayate's arm was loosely wrapped around Yugao's waist, and the off-duty ANBU was recipricating the gesture. Nanashi couldn't help but smile slightly at that, remembering the calm and collected second in command he had during the final days of the remnant period. _Things will be different this time senpai. I owe you that much. I can't say much for the health of Hayate in general, but he won't die so soon this time around._

He was broken out of his nostalgic thoughts when the voice of Kurenai breached his consciousness. "Nanashi, are you okay?" He gave her a quick glance to see an odd look on her face, and judging from the narrowed eyes that her associate was throwing him, he imagined that he had blanked out for a short while. Her red eyes were as penetrating as he remembered, and nothing short of mind-jarring if one was unused to them.

"It's nothing Kurenai-san. Just... lost in the past, so to speak." He said softly, though a trace of amusement was in his voice as he said the last part. _More than anyone will ever know._ Kurenai continued giving him that odd look before nodding and turning back to Anko. Nanashi only shook his head slightly, idly wondering if those eyes will ever change. _Eyes the color of bloodshed don't suit Kurenai-sensei's true nature._ He shook his head again as the group reached their destination, and he couldn't help but sigh.

Casual conversation was made as they ate but Nanashi didn't really pay attention to most of it. He contributed when he could, but he knew that he was the odd man out of this group, a feeling he had been familiar with since he was a kid. It had gone away as he grew older, but being thrown into the past again had been reintroducing him to sides of himself he had long since forgotten about. He told a few jokes, took a few shots at Genma (using the cute waitress to his advantage of course), as well as having a few witty verbal matches with Anko, most of which he won to his amusement and Anko's displeasure. His coat had been removed when they say down and he tried to ignore the curious glances from those who hadn't seen his arms before. He really wasn't in the mood to explain them again.

He did notice everyone trying to sneak glimpses at his unmasked face when he ate his food, or when he was trying to drink some of his tea that he had ordered with his meal. Well, almost anyone. If anything, Anko didn't care at all, and only shook her head in exasperation when he took measures that his old mentor Kakashi had taught him about hiding one's face. He had to fight from laughing at their annoyed expressions when they wouldn't see his mouth and idly wondered if Kakashi enjoyed this as much as he was now. He didn't actually care if they saw his face, but them not seeing it meant less questions which was always a plus.

Their food had come and gone, and the drinks were starting to flow a little more freely. Nanashi finally let out a sigh before flagging down a waitress. He pulled out some large ryo notes and placed them in her hand. "A bottle of the finest sake you have ojo-chan. Keep the rest."

The girl scampered off excitedly, drawing the attention of his companions. Anko only raised an eyebrow, a saucer of sake already in her hand. "The hell was that about nameless wonder?"

"Just placing an order Anko." The girl returned shortly afterwards, carrying a very fancy bottle in her hands as if terrified of breaking it. Nanashi took it from her and thanked her once again. He opened the bottle carefully and after placing the top on the table, he looked up to the others and gestured for them to hold out their saucers. If any of them were surprised, they hid it admirably but anyone could tell something was up.

When they all had a saucer filled with the special order, Nanashi paused a moment while holding his saucer up. "A toast then."

Genma smirked and gave a nod before raising his own saucer. "To good food and better drink."

Kurenai followed up with her own, "The future." It was obvious to those present that she was thinking about her upcoming Jounin examination.

Hayate and Yugao exchanged glances before smiling together. They clasped hands together, and Yugao spoke for the two of them. Someone had to cover for Hayate's coughing anyway. "To love."

Anko only rolled her eyes at that one. "Sappy bastards..." A moment of silence before she raised her saucer with her left hand, her right fingering the bottom of the purple scarf that was wrapped around her neck. "To... a new life..." The others besides Nanashi and Kurenai looked at the snake mistress at this odd comment but she ignored it. She then tossed a look at her red-eyed friend and added as an afterthought, "And to 'Nai-chan here actually asking that future lung cancer statistic Asuma out." The group laughed at that, with the exception of Kurenai who was blushing at her energetic friend's words. She then slapped Anko on the arm with enough force to cause the woman to wince but she didn't lose her grin as she looked at her embarrassed friend.

Nanashi closed his eyes and said nothing at first, despite continuing to hold out his saucer. After a few moments of silence, he opened his eyes and pulled down his mask, revealing his faded whisker marks. He ignored the sudden intake of breath from a few of his companions and merely said softly, "To fallen friends..."

"Here here." Came the agreement from those gathered, taking their drinks as one. A comfortable silence followed (or at least one could get in a bar) before a second round went around. No one really felt inclined to start up a conversation, each lost within their own thoughts. Finally, Genma turned to Nanashi. "What brought this on blondie?"

Nanashi placed his saucer down and pulled his mask back up. "... Long story short, this day has special meaning to me and I use it to honor friends long gone." He shook his head, as if stopping himself from saying else. He placed some ryo on the table, enough to cover his meal and a little extra, before rising to his feet. "It's been fun, but there's some place I need to go before I sleep tonight."

The blonde gave them a slight bow of the head before he left. The gathered shinobi said nothing at first, each coming terms to what the mysterious blonde let slip. Finally, it was Hayate who spoke up, albeit through a few sickly sounding coughs. "Is it just me, or did he look disturbingly like the Yondaime?"

Anko merely slugged down another shot of the fine sake without a care for savoring its rich taste. "He says thats why he wears the damn mask. I think it'd be fun to freak the villagers out and pretend to be the Yellow Flash for a bit."

Kurenai rolled her eyes at her friend's comments. "Of course you would." Her eyes drifted back to where the mysterious special jounin had been sitting before noticing that he had left his coat behind. "He left his coat."

The serpentine kunoichi merely scoffed. "Figures. Friggin' idiot." She quickly reached over and grabbed the coat and threw it over her shoulder before grabbing the sake saucer out of Genma's hand and slugging it back, much to the irritation of the senbon chewing shinobi and the amusement to the rest of those gathered. "Hold my seat, I'll be right back."

-/-/-/

He only let out a heavy sigh as he made his way towards the the Hokage mountain. He had spent more time nestled in the spikes of the head of his father's visage than he could really know, even before he actually knew that the man was his father. He always spent this day there, even before losing so many of his friends and loved ones. Maybe it was to remind himself of what he was shooting for or something like that. He never really understood it, but had always felt like he was welcome when he took his place.

He was broken out of his musings when something hit him in the head. He wasn't too worried about the fact that he hadn't sensed it; there was no lingering killing intent in the surrounding area and he was still in Konoha proper. He smirked as he realized what it was and shifted, allowing the leather trench coat to fall into his arms before he put it on. He looked over his shoulder at the person who had thrown the coat. "Thanks."

Anko merely shrugged, obviously not caring for any thanks. "Whatever." She seemed to want to add something but said nothing. Her face betrayed her though.

Nanashi raised an eyebrow at this as he placed his hands in his pockets, waiting for her to continue. When it seemed she wasn't going to be forthcoming, he merely gave her a nod before turning away. "Later Anko."

He only took two steps before her voice cut into his mental processes like a knife through hot butter. "So who are you really?" He slowly turned his head to look at her over his shoulder. _Well, well, well. Someone is actually confronting me on my 'story'. Who would've thought from all places it would come from her?_

Nanashi had been expecting something like this to happen eventually. _Not this quick though_. His back story was put together hastily with old man Hokage after rejoining Konoha's ninja service. It would never fly under intense scrutiny, hence why he had done his best to stay out of the limelight as much as possible. Considering the few he did interact with an a regular basis understood that he wouldn't talk about his past, it didn't seem like it would be that difficult to slip by since so few knew of his existence anyway. Oh he knew that he had caused a stir at the Jounin Tournament when he won that, but he had no doubts in his mind that his existence had slipped out most of Konoha's mind shortly thereafter.

Reviewing it now in his mind, he cursed mentally as he recalled that evening with Anko the night before she decided to undergo the curse seal removal ritual, and more importantly the first night he had actually spoken to someone about Hinata's death since it actually happened. He was actually pleased with himself as he responded with a confused tone that was as fake as his 'name'. "What are you talking about?"

Anko only stared at him with a blank face. _Well that's odd. She usually either has that shit-eating grin, a scowl, or a glare._ "I was just going to give that back to you, but since we're alone I might as well do what I've been thinking about for a while."

Unable to resist giving the woman a quick shot, Nanashi smirked beneath his mask as he turned around to face her. "So, finally giving into my boyish charm Anko-san?" He lost the grin when she narrowed her eyes on him. She was no longer giving him any slack it seemed. This wasn't her usual glare, that was reserved for messing with someone's head or mild irritation. No, it was on a different level and he finally realized what it was for. _Oh... so she's considering me a possible threat now... _

She continued staring at him in silence for a few minutes, forcing him to wonder what was going through the woman's mind. Finally she scoffed before breaking eye contact with him. "Tch." Nanashi didn't bother to avert his gaze from the woman, knowing full well that more was coming. She seemed to be measuring her words again, as if trying to figure out what to say. Finally, she let out a sigh. "You and the old man need to lock up your fake history better."

Nanashi didn't let the sudden accusation ruffle him. He had known that someone would call him on it eventually, but he had expected it to be closer to the day where change needed to occur than almost a year and a half in advance. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

She only gave him a smirk at his fake confusion. He idly cursed within his mind, wondering if his body language had let something slip about his 'confusion.' "Of course you don't." After a few moments she added, "You weren't part of any special group under the old man. You simply just didn't exist until you were pulled into the hospital with those wounds." The words were spoken plainly, as fact that could not be disputed. Her absolute confidence in her words unsettled him more than he could describe.

Anko had been hoping for some sort of reaction when she said that to the masked blonde, but the one she got worried her. She didn't let it show but when she had stated her claim, the entire demeanor of the blonde shifted. Nothing in his expression or eyes changed, but his whole being seemed to radiate with warning at her, as if informing her on a telepathic level to watch her words. "That's a bold claim."

She only rolled her eyes, not at all intimidated. "You removed that shithead's taint over me. Did you really think that I wouldn't look you up after that?"

Nanashi thought about it for a moment and mentally relaxed. _She's just looking for some answers. She's not trying to break your cover. If she wanted to, she would've called you out on this publicly. _"That still doesn't explain what you're accusing me of."

"I checked the records they have on you at the hospital. You had never been treated before, not even as a kid. Even that old prick Danzo's pawns' records are kept by Konoha General. That leads me to believe that either you're fucking untouchable, which I know isn't true, or that something else is at work here."

_Fuck..._ Nanashi thought the curse in his mind over and over again as he tried to figure out how to respond to this. He would later look back upon the incident and be impressed in how little emotion he showed as he listened to her words. Yet he would also kick himself later for not having a better response ready for the situation. "Knowing too much isn't always healthy Mitarashi Anko."

Anko only scoffed at that. "Ain't it the truth." She paused for a moment before adding "Don't worry nameless wonder. I don't give a shit and I won't say nothing either. I owe you too much anyway. Just letting you know that you and the old man need to cover your tracks better."

Nanashi frowned beneath his mask before giving a short nod, aquisiting to the fact that the woman had indeed discovered one of his secrets. "The real question is, if you were able to determine this who else could?"

"I burned the file they had on you after I read it and replaced it with gibberish. Figured if the old man and you were actually going through the hassle of building a fake history, then there's a damn good reason for it."

He raised an eyebrow in honest bafflement. "You trust me that much? Anko, for all you know I could be a spy working for Orochimaru. It would explain how I know so much about the curse seal."

She closed the distance between them quickly and lashed out quickly. He felt his head jerk suddenly from the punch to his temple but only minor pain. His experience with forceful women in the past deciphered this quickly. It was not meant to hurt him, but rather punish him for saying something stupid. "Hokage-sama trusts you; that's enough for me."

Nanashi's eyes dropped at that but he nodded in understanding. "I see..." He met her eyes again and was met by that grin that he was growing far too used to when dealing with the woman. "Well, I will neither confirm nor deny anything you've said tonight. Keep it under your coat though."

She only rolled her eyes at his request. "I'm not stupid you retard." Then once again, she showed off her ability to change moods at the drop of a kunai as her face lit up with a big grin and she pointed in one direction. "Enough of this talk. It's time for better things, like drinking! The bars are calling us nameless wonder! That way!" For a moment, and only a moment, the blonde was stunned beyond words. Then slowly, he chuckled which grew until it was a full laugh. _She really is like my old self. I hesitate to even wonder about the shit we would've pulled if I had befriended this insane woman as a child._

He was broken out of his musings when he heard the movements of a large crowd. He exchanged a quick look with the snake woman who also had a puzzled expression on her face. Nanashi shrugged before saying, "Lead on oh beautiful snake goddess." Sarcasm practically dripped from his voice and he grinned as he knew it would start another verbal battle with the woman. He didn't know why he enjoyed antagonizing Anko so much, but it was entertaining as all hell. The fact that she could keep up with him more often than not amused him on so many levels. Not even Kiba had been able to keep a good round of verbal tag going with the Uzumaki, let alone most of his other associates who would eventually resort to physical violence to end the 'childish bickering' as one Hyuga Neji referred to it.

Anko smiled at that and began walking. "Oooh, say that again. It's good to hear that you've finally found your place." Nanashi took the barb and was about to shoot back with one of his own when he heard a cry of pain.

A very familiar cry.

He snapped his head towards the direction he had heard it from and was already moving, leaving a confused Anko behind. He didn't know if she had heard what he had, but he didn't care either. He made his way down the alley until he exited it and paused in front of a large crowd. He didn't even register Anko's hand on his shoulder and the question she must've been asking before he heard another cry of pain. He shook her hand off of his shoulder and began forcing himself through the crowd. When he reached the front, he froze at the sight that greeted him. Standing in the center were two figures, one carrying a small knife, not a kunai but rather something more along the lines of a butcher knife, the other holding a metal rod. The crowd had surrounded them, creating a full circle that held the two and one other. Nanashi only stared in complete shock at the fallen child that was clearly hurt and only barely holding onto consciousness. A mop of unruly and spiky blonde hair, cuts and bruises all over his face. His legs were cut up in several places, blood flowing freely from the wounds. One arm cradled the other as the boy glared up at his attackers with cerulean eyes full of defiance, despite barely being able to keep his eyes open.

Nanashi felt a very cold chill go down his spine as the man with the knife sent a brutal kick across the face of his younger self. He just watched as the boy dropped like a rock, consciousness finally leaving him. It was only when the man with the rod raised his arm to deliver the final blow that he moved .Those around him jumped back in shock when he vanished from sight, only to appear in front of the man who was already bringing the rod down to strike. Nanashi reacted instantly, without taking his eyes off of his younger self. He raised his right arm and blocked the blow with his forearm, not even wincing when the steel rod impacted against the bone.

Only when that happened did Nanashi allow himself to take his eyes off of the child. The look of surprise on his attacker's face was priceless but Nanashi was in no mood to enjoy it. Without even saying a single word, the masked blonde lashed out with his leg, driving a brutal kick to the man's gut, sending him flying backwards into the crowd, knocking several people over. He then turned his gaze to the knife wielder with a ruthless glare before, for the first time since reawakening in 'this' Konoha, unleashing the full of his killer instinct.

The impact was immediate. The villager who no doubt had never been exposed to such intensity in his pathetic life dropped the knife in an instant and if Nanashi had cared to notice, the man wet his pants when he met the blonde's gaze that promised death and destruction. The blonde was also too enraged to notice that the killing intent was not focused solely on the man before him and the whole crowd seemed to be trembling in the presence of the blonde.

Even the Special Jounin who had followed him to this incident was stunned by the sheer amount of killing urge the blonde was emitting.She was somewhat stunned at the change. She knew that the man was a good shinobi, but she had never really imagined he could go from joker to enraged killer so quickly. He just didn't seem the type. She wasn't a shinobi for nothing however and pushed through the miasma that was terrifying even to her, moving to check on the boy the blonde had been so damned concerned about. She let out a sigh of relief as she realized the kid was still alive. _Good, if he was dead I have the feeling that nameless killer over here would go Itachi on these idiots. Not that I can blame him..._ It was only after that thought that she recognized the brat and her eyes widened in shock. _The vessel! No wonder he's so pissed..._

When he finally spoke, his voice was considerably calmer than one would expect considering the size of the un-targeted killing intent that was all but paralyzing the crowd. "There better be a damn good reason why you all were assaulting a citizen of Konohagakure, a child no less. Somebody better start talking now, or I'm going to start slaughtering people." Anko looked up at the blonde in open alarm, fully believing the threat.

Dead silence followed the blonde's proclamation but his attention had already shifted from the crowd of idiots towards his fallen former self. The boy was clearly unconscious, and the wounds were anything but minor. Seeing Anko attending to his younger self for the first time snapped Nanashi out of his rage temporarily. "How is he?" He whispered, kneeling down to examine his younger self more closely.

Anko let out a small sigh of relief; that killing intent had been suffocating. "Alive. Not in good shape though."

Nanashi once again thanked whatever gods were out there for his freakish healing ability, which had only been enhanced by the kyubi's presence. In fact, Nanashi was quite surprised that the ability had transfered over to him, after his little time jump. He had always assumed it was the fox healing him but since he could still recover from wounds far faster than normal, he drew the conclusion that he probably had some sort of bloodline limit that no one knew of, and people before had simply blamed it on the fox.

He snapped out of his musings when he heard a few of the villagers speak up, evidently able to regain enough of their motor functions now that he had taken his attention off of them. "Damn... demon... lovers..."

Nanashi only looked at the one who spoke and narrowed his eyes. "I said a good reason prick. Choose your next words carefully, for they may be your last." The man shrunk back at that statement, as Nanashi's rage seem to climb a little higher. _All these pathetic maggots... is this the Konoha that everyone died for? Is this the Konoha I really want to save?_ "Anko, take the kid to the old man. He'll take care of him." The blonde stated, his voice a deception of calmness. His gaze had not been removed from the idiot who had dared utter something so idiotic in his presence.

Anko actually shivered from his words before snapping her fingers in front of his eyes. "Oi!" When he turned to face her, she held a serious expression on her face that calmed him down slightly. "There's no way I'm leaving these idiots alone with you with the amount of killing intent you're letting out. You take the brat, I'll deal with the morons."

The two special jounin glared at each other for quite some time before finally the blonde broke the gaze, suddenly feeling quite ashamed of his actions. _She's right... I was about to kill these people... Fuck._ "Right. I'd better get going then." He quickly scooped his younger self into his arms and had to conceal a shudder as he thought about what might have happened if he remained in the area. He distracted himself by looking over his younger self and couldn't help but sigh. _Was I always this scrawny? This light? Damn, why does life go out of its way to make things far more interesting than they have to be?_ He turned to leave but halted first before saying, "Anko."

"What?"

"...Thanks." And with that final word of gratitude for stopping him from doing something he'd regret later, the blonde vanishing with the speed of shinobi. Anko only shook her head at the resultant spinning leaves before turning her own gaze on the crowd before her and grinning a sadistic smile and shining eyes that held an undercurrent of insanity. She would never know it, but the combined effect would later plague the nightmares of all present.

Serves the bastards right.

-/-/-/

Sarutobi only closed his eyes and let out a weary sigh as the ANBU commander finally left his office. He didn't bother to look at the irritated form of Minato's grown-up son; he had nothing to say that could justify what had happened. "So many things were done with the best intentions..."

The man merely scoffed. His younger self had already been taken to the hospital by one of Sarutobi's aides, one he obviously trusted a great deal if he entrusted the boy's care to him. _Then again, they all probably know what he would do to them if 'I' don't make it through._ Nanashi didn't voice his thoughts however, and instead let out a flippent comment. "You'd think that the maggots you and my father protected would respect his final wishes a little more."

The old man merely toyed with his pipe as he stared out his window into the night sky of Konoha. He could see the lights from the winding down of the festival from his perch and idly wondered the same thing. Out loud he simply asked, "Were you always this bitter about your... position?"

Nanashi paused at that before shaking his head. "I think it pisses me off more to see it happening to someone else actually. Even if that someone else, well, is me."

The old man nodded in understanding. "Very much like your father. He was the same way. I imagine that was the reason he used his own child as the vessel rather than simply grab an orphan."

Nanashi only shrugged at that, not really willing to think too deeply on his father's motives. He never knew the man, and only knew what the history books and Ero-sannin told him. He liked to think he would've liked the guy though. "What now?"

The elder ninja merely sighed, no longer fighting the urge to light up his pipe. He took a few puffs before refocusing on the outside world. "I have received Anko's report as well as your own. I will deal with those who attacked... you accordingly." He turned back to the blonde and lowered his pipe, "Fortunately, you didn't kill the man you attacked so I doubt there will be any serious repercussions." The Sandaime raised an eyebrow as something occurred to him, "But I'd never thought I'd see Anko-chan in the role of a peace-keeper."

"Me neither, but then again you've never seen me truly and utterly pissed off old man." The blonde only paused for a moment before his mood seemed to sour. "The council will try to make something of this. You know it." Nanashi commented calmly, the events of the night finally catching up to him.

The Sandaime merely chuckled. "It would not be the first time. They have no power to affect what occurs now. You have acted in accordance to my wishes. Even if they wanted to make something of this, they can not without outright challenging my authority, and the shinobi portion of the council would never do such a thing."

The blonde shrugged. "If you say so. Are we done here?"

"Yes. You're free to go." The blonde merely nodded as he began to head towards the window. He was interrupted by a cough and looked up to see the old man glaring at him and pointing towards the office door. He only rubbed his head sheepishly before leaving via the door, making Sarutobi's night.

-/-/-/

News of the attack on the 'demon-brat' and his rescue spread through Konoha like wildfire for the next week and a half. It had not been the first time an attempt had been thwarted, but it was the first time that a shinboi had caused a crowd to all but shit themselves from it. In the past incidents involving the blonde haired jinchureki, the crowd had simply been dispersed and those who had actual led the attack taken in. For civilians, to be hit with a killing intent for the first time, the likes of which would stun many jounins, was a wake-up call. After all, it was rare that a shinobi acted on behalf of the demon without direct orders from the Sandaime.

But most eventually shrugged the overblown stories off, either not believing it or simply not caring. Though many did begin to treat the masked blonde with a little more wariness than they had before.

Or it could be because by leaving the scene when he did, he effectively sic-ed a member of the torture and interrogation squad on a crowd of civilians. One who very much enjoyed her work. Several days later even Morino Ibiki, of all people, came to personally thank the blonde for the entertainment. Nanashi had said nothing, for once making sure to kill his curious brain cells with extreme prejudice before his mouth could say anything. He was absolutely sure that he was better off NOT knowing what went on in the Torture and Interrogation cells beneath the tower.

This wary treatment from the villagers didn't bother him too much though; he was used to far more extremes of fear and hatred after all. He went on as he did before, spending most of his time training in one of Konoha's numerous training grounds. He was actually somewhat surprised at the lack of more fallout from the incident but apparently the old man had his back. He only shook his head at that thought as he began forming seals quickly. _Eh, whatever. _

His mind snapped back into focus as he finished the last set of handseals before focusing his chakra and creating the necessary visualization. "Raiton: Kaminari Ryu no jutsu." He felt his internal reserves spike for a split second before dropping like a rock as the technique absorbed the necessary chakra and manifested as a roaring dragon from his fingertips. The dragon was a fairly large size and he watched with a smug grin of accomplishment as the technique lashed out towards his target, a small group of trees on the other side of the training grounds. The dragon impacted against them with an impressive display of light before the trees essentially exploded. He actually had to duck his head to avoid a piece of flying tree bark that flew past him. He raised his head to look at the technique's aftermath with a feeling of satisfaction. _Another kinjutsu down. _He winced slightly from the headache that came as a resultant of using the technique so many times. It drained chakra like a bitch and he was already beginning the effects of low-level chakra depletion. Another interesting side effect was that he could practically 'feel' the static electricity he was storing up each time he used it. He made an idle note to experiment with that at a later date, perhaps even channeling it into one of his pre-existing raiton techniques. _I should be able to reproduce that without the seals now, since I known how the chakra is supposed to be manipulated. Well, I guess I'll test it. I should have enough chakra in me to handle one more go without passing out._

Ninjutsu and genjutsu skills were made up of three components: focus, chakra manipulation, and visualization. When using a technique, one usually uses all three components. Leaving one out usually made the technique fail, but there are cases where it doesn't matter much. Usually low-level techinuqes such as the kawarmini could be done without visualizing exactly where to move to, and even most low-level chunnin could perform the technique without the handseals that correspond to it. Even more could perform jutsus without speaking their names; not unusual in itself but speaking the name of the jutsu does usually help one with the visualization and focusing aspect.

The truth of the matter is that for most shinobi, the chakra manipulation is the hardest aspect of any jutsu. No one truly understands the nature of chakra, or why it exists. Even the 'theory' taught at the shinobi academy couldn't really be proven. Hand seals as a whole were only used to help form and mold the chakra as the shinobi wished; some gut instinct was required as well. The 'theory' of chakra was really just a compilation of gut instincts from some of the best shinobi in the past.

Nanashi had studied this relationship between the three aspects of jutsu during his time traveling with Jiraiya before the war. He was by no means the sharpest kunai in the target board, but even at that age he had realized that if he could somehow cut out one of the steps and still perform jutsu that it would become a massive advantage. Thus began his secret work on what would eventually evolve into his Elemental Binding Matrix. The beauty of the seals was that they 'remembered', for the lack of a better word, the chakra manipulation needed. He remembered when Jiraiya had discovered his research after they returned to Konoha and the man's jaw had hit the floor at what his 'idiot apprentice' was in the process of developing.

The problem was that differing elements handled chakra in different ways. Fire was explosive, requiring large and uncontrolled bursts that were sustainable. Water was more of a calm manipulation, as if allowing one's chakra to expand naturally, as it water would take the shape of a container it was poured into. Lightning was sharp and explosive like fire, but meant to be used quickly then released rather than sustained. Earth was a steady flow, strong and overpowering but subtle as if one would forget it was even there at times. Wind was chaotic at best, always thrashing around as if it had its own will and cared not for the will of the one who would command it.

Nanashi's notes and research had intrigued the Toad-Hermit. He listened patiently as the blonde had excitedly explained the initial concepts of the binding matrix and how it would react when grafted onto someone. The man had eyed the boy quietly as the blonde had explained the flaws in the theory he had already found, mostly having to due with the differing natures of elemental jutsu. It had actually been the old pervert who had given him the way to fix the problem. It was brutally simple: a separate binding matrix for each element. Such a overly simple solution, yet it had taken the blonde off on a tangent of his original plan.

_In the end though, the old pervert had the right idea. _He thought to himself as he stared at his right arm. He couldn't see the seal there but he didn't need to. He knew each mark and line of the seals by heart and had been his own first guinia pig. Tsunade had almost torn his head off when he awoke from the four month coma from the ritual that branded his left arm with the suiton matrix. Jiraiya had been the one to stop her from doing so when he awoke from the three month coma that had occurred when he branded his right arm with the raiton matrix. For some reason the two had explicitly forbidden him from ever grafting another matrix to himself and one that the blonde had kept, even after their deaths.

Though to be fair, during the remnant period he didn't really have the time to be laid up for months. Survival was a moment to moment thing in those days, and too many people had been relying on him. How he became the leader of the resistance was something he never figured out, but it was something he took seriously.

The blonde shook his head at the memories before focusing on his original task. He felt the chakra within his body shift slightly to his right arm, as he expected. He was already visualizing what he expected to happen as he spoke the words that were becoming familiar to him as he practiced the jutsu for the final time today. "Raiton: Kaminari Ryu no jutsu." Unlike before when the dragon formed from the fingertips of both his hands, this time the dragon's head and body formed from the blonde's outstretched right arm. Unlike before where the dragon had shot straight ahead to impact upon the target, this time the dragon seemed to swirl in the air, travelling in a tight spiral and wrapping itself around one of Konoha's large trees before exploding.

Nanashi only raised an eyebrow at the unusual reaction. _That was... unexpected._ He then remembered when the Kumo Elite had used the technique against him and felt like an idiot. _Of course. It's electricity bound by chakra, and chakra can be controlled. Odds are if I continue to improve my control then I'll be able to control it like that guy did. Overall a success though._ He checked his internal reserves and frowned beneath his mask before uttering a soft curse to himself. _Damn it sucks having such a small chakra store. I never thought I'd miss that damn fox. The lack of that bastard's chakra limits my whole combat style..._

He snapped out his musings when he felt a pair of familiar chakra sources encroach on his training area. He heard a familiar voice speak up from the edge of the field, awe evident in the man's voice. "Holy shit on a stick."

He only chuckled before turning to face his guests. "Now, now. No need for such language toothpick. You are with a lady after all." He watched in amusement as the woman beside him smirked at the senbon-chewing shinboi, while Genma merely raised an eyebrow. Feeling better than to leave it that, if only to have a little fun with her, he decided to add to his comment. "She may not seem like one but she still counts."

Insert righteous womanly rage here. "Fuck you prick." Anko's voice was casual, as if she didn't even notice the insult that had been directed towards her. Her eyes were locked upon the destroyed training posts with a gleam of... something. "And you are so teaching me that, whatever it was."

The blonde was amused by her reaction to the raiton kinjutsu that he had recently learned. He grinned beneath his mask and said in a tone that would match one speaking to a child. "Maybe if you're a good girl Anko-chan." The blonde still didn't understand why he enjoyed baiting the woman so much, but it was fun and he was never one to question the things he enjoyed.

Genma only rolled his eyes at their byplay before looking to Nanashi with a smirk. "You know one day she's going to kill you in your sleep."

"Nah, she seems more of the type to knock me out, tie me up then wait until I regain consciousness before doing it."

The woman idly wondered if Ibiki owed her any favors as she watched the two men casually insult her. "You bastards keep talking I may take you up on that."

Genma raised his hands in defeat and took a step back from the somewhat irritated kunoichi. Nanashi knew better than to give into the woman; she liked a fight, and she wasn't afraid to show it. "Like I said before; handcuffs and bondage kind of woman."

Genma didn't bother to stop the woman this time as Anko charged him. He only shook his head and laughed lightly as the two began to go at it, though anyone could tell that neither was seriously trying to hurt the other. He honestly didn't know what to think of the strange irritating relationship between his two comrades. He wasn't particularly close to either of them, but had worked with them enough in the past to somewhat understand their personalities.

He knew that the woman had her own share of secrets and pain that she would never discuss openly. He idly wondered if Kurenai, the only other shinobi besides the masked blonde who openly sought out Anko's company from time to time, knew more about the woman than she was willing to tell. And from what he could tell, she also seemed to have a connection to the masked blonde as well. He knew that she worked for that sadist Ibiki when not on missions, though sometimes he honestly wondered who the bigger sadist of the two really was. Though, he knew that he was glad he was never put in a position where he had the chance to find out.

He had sensed that she had been changing recently, although he couldn't really put his finger on it. She went out more often as opposed to confining herself to her apartment or her favorite bar like she always did before. She still wore her scandalous outfit with little care for what others thought, not that the womanizer really minded. He rather liked seeing the woman in that outfit after all, and on more than one occasion had 'suggested' that it become the mandatory kunoichi dress code. (His old teammate Yugao had beaten him senseless after that.) She also seemed far more willing to engage in casual conversation with her associates, whereas before she had almost never spoken unless it was she was insulting someone or being asked a direct question.

The blonde however was still pretty much a mystery. He had seen the man's face, but it seemed like the blonde didn't particularly care. He had asked him about it once after that Kyubi celebration. Nanashi had simply shrugged and said that his appearance tends to unsettle people. "After all," he had said as the bandana wearing shinobi watched another of the man's bizarre training sessions, "I kinda look like you know who. I'd rather people didn't start thinking that he survived or I was his long lost brother or anything like that. I'm not him, so why waste time trying to tell people that."

Despite the man's attempt to appear average, Genma could sense the man was hiding something and he didn't just mean his skill. Oh Genma knew that Nanashi was stronger than he let out, though for what purpose the blonde hid his strength, he would probably never figure out. He had to be; the training sessions that Genma and Hayate, among others, had seen the man do in his 'off' time was simply amazing. Intense didn't even begin to describe the strange and bizarre things the blonde came up with. Even that... eccentric jounin Maito Gai thought that the man's training was far too intense for a daily session. But the blonde kept at it regardless.

He rarely spoke of his past, claiming that he couldn't but it didn't take a shinobi to see that half the time he said this he was lying. More often than that though, the blonde had a tendency to space out around certain people. He hadn't really noticed it before, but apparently Kurenai's presence did that, as well as Kakashi's. As if he was seeing something in the two that caused the man to blank out temporarily. He also noticed that it happened around some of the academy students, though for what reason Genma had never been able to discern. He had only asked about it once, and had been met with a stare so cold Genma felt his breath freezing in his lungs. He never asked again.

He couldn't honestly say that he 'knew' the two shinobi tussling in front of him well. He wasn't a shinobi for nothing though and somehow knew that the two were dependable, if not trustworthy. He picked up numerous other minor things about their behavior, either around each other or around others.

Both shinobi seemed to take great joy in fighting each other, although it seemed that had more to do with Anko wanting to beat the shit out of the blonde than anything else. The two bickered like children whenever they met, and if someone didn't stop them, he bet they could go on for practically hours. It was usually pretty funny, and on more than one occasion he had let them go for a while for laughs before stopping them. He knew they had hit the bars more than once together, but considering how Anko was practically an alcoholic anyway, it wasn't a surprise.

One of those things that he did notice over the course of dealing with the two since he met Nanashi was that the blonde never bothered to check out the woman who often searched him out for a fight. That was an impressive accomplishment in itself, as he would be the first to admit that Anko was a damn fine piece of ass, and didn't do anything to conceal that fact. Genma knew that if he had a little less self-preservation instinct, he would've tried something with the serpentine kunoichi by now.

There were times as he watched the two bicker and fight that he honestly thought the two MUST be married or at least dating; it was just too frequent to otherwise happen. That or that they were really going to drive each other nuts one day and one of them would be found speared to the Hokage Tower's walls. _I must be hanging around Anko too much, because that seems like an amusing image in itself._

He tended to think more along the lines of the first scenario, as it was far more amusing and even his old friend Hayate's girlfriend thought it was, in her words, 'cute'. The day she said that it sent a shiver down the man's spine and honestly hoped that civilian women didn't think like kunoichi or the fate of his gender in general wouldn't be too promising. Not that he would ever say that to the ANBU kenjutsu specialist; she was all too willing to use him as a training dummy after all.

He only smirked as the blonde casually sidestepped another of Anko's frantic attacks in order to trip her up and pin her to the ground.

Anko only growled before saying, "I swear I'm going to beat the shit out of you one day."

The two men only chuckled. "If you really wanted to, you would've gone all out. Even then... Well, its good to have goals." Nanashi said with a smirk beneath his mask. He did have her pinned to the ground, hands above her head, face driven into the ground. _Not bad for being almost out of usable chakra, but then again neither of us were really trying._

"Do you lovebirds want to be left alone? Because I can leave, you know..." Genma mentioned casually, a smirk on his face. He laughed as the blonde shot him a confused glance before realizing their positioning. Never before had the senbon-chewing shinobi wished he could see the man's face more than that, for it must have been a deep red as the man practically shot to his feet faster than any teleportation jutsu would ever allow. The woman, for the first time that Genma had ever seen her do so, matched the blonde's unseen flush, though she was desperately trying to hide it.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever." The woman said, tossing a glare towards the man. It was obvious that she was trying to change the subject when she spoke up again. "What the hell was that by the way?" She asked, pointing towards the destroyed training stumps that had been hit early by Nanashi's technique.

The blonde merely rolled his neck, cracking it audibly. "Eh, something I've been working on for a while. Drains chakra like a sponge though. I've pretty much just got enough chakra in me to stay coherent."

Genma raised an eyebrow at that. The blonde never acted as if it was a big deal, but the man did have an impressive chakra pool. "That bad?"

"Yeah. I friggin' hate how my chakra reserves are so small..." The last part of the statement was said far more quietly, as if thinking to himself out loud. Anko and Genma exchanged looks but both shrugged. They weren't about to tell the blonde that his chakra well was as huge as it was. Nanashi was about to add something when he sensed someone behind him and turned. A chunnin was there and seemed to be waiting to be acknowledged. Nanashi frowned before asking, "Yes, can we help you?" _And when the hell did you get here? Am I that tired that I didn't even sense one of the old man's errand boys?_

The man looked nervous, at least when noticing the kunoichi there. Nanashi couldn't help but chuckle to himself at that. _It seems that Anko's reputation precedes her._ "Nanashi-san, Anko-san. Your presence is requested at the tower. There's a mission for you." Nanashi nodded to the man who in turn shot the woman a guarded look as if afraid to turn his back on her, before turning and leaving.

Nanashi let out a sigh before looking back at the woman. He then smiled beneath his mask as he realized exactly why the man looked so nervous. She held a kunai in her hand and apparently had been tracing the blade with her tongue in a manner that would disturb anyone. She halted in mid-action as she noticed that the blonde and their other associate staring at her. Thus leading to an amusing sight, even as she embarrassedly pulled the kunai away and frowned at them. "What?" She all but demanded in an annoyed tone, as if she hadn't been doing anything wrong.

Genma only chuckled at her antics. "Absolutely nothing at all."

Nanashi only shook his head in amusement at that. _No wonder he looked ready to shit himself._ "Do you normally scare the old man's errand boys like that?"

"Only when they start undressing me with their eyes like that prick was."

Nanashi gave her a blank stare as he briefly looked over the fishnet clad kunoichi's body. He remained silent for a while before saying, "There's not much to undress." His voice was flat, as if trying to put across a very basic concept a child. Genma bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing, but he couldn't fight the grin that was threatening to cover his face. _Oh, that's a good one._

"... You better not have just been checking me out shitstain."

"..." _There is no correct answer to that. Thus, remain silent if you wish to live. Dealing with irate kunoichi 101 as taught by Professor Jiraiya._

The masked blonde shot a look to Genma; an open plea for assistence but the senbon-chewing bastard was simply looking at him with amusement on his face, and obviously trying very hard not to burst out laughing.

"Wipe the drool from your mouth shitstain and let's get going." She said, gesturing with a nod towards the tall tower that could be seen in the distance.

"Right..." Nanashi said uneasily. He then smirked before nodding with his head in a similar manner. "If the old man is calling on the two of us, it's going to be an interesting mission. Excited?"

"Over having to deal with you? Don't make me laugh."

"You know that you dream about me every night." He said with amusement.

"Yeah, they're nightmares. Good thing my psyche is already scarred beyond repair or I'd be traumatized." The blonde looked at her and paused while trying to think up of a good retort. When he failed to come up with anything fast enough, the kunoichi merely smirked as she thought, _my win this time!_

Genma only chuckled, finding it amusing to see the blonde finally lose of of the two's verbal scuffles. "She's got you there blondie."

"Shut up toothpick."

"Let's just get going idiot. Afterwards we're so going to that gambling den and cleaning the place out again; I need a new set of weapons."

"Don't you mean that I'm going to clean them out again? If I recall correctly, you did lose your skirt to them." _That was a very interesting night. If it had been anyone other than Anko it would be prime blackmail material. Shame she wouldn't give a shit about it._

Anko only blinked at his comment. He was expecting some sort of sarcastic reply but instead was met with a simple comment that was spoken in a tone where something long unknown finally made sense. "Oh, so that's where it went." He could help but laugh at that, ignoring the murderous look from the woman.

Even as she reached for a kunai to stab him with.

Genma only watched the two walk away with an odd expression before he shook his head. _I don't want to know. I don't want to know..._

-/-/-/

"Fucking hell. How long is the old man going to be keeping us waiting?" Nanashi tried to ignore the mutterings of the woman sitting next to him in the Hokage's waiting room. The two, after being summoned earlier, had been waiting for two hours to get whatever mission the Sandaime had for them. It was unusual to be kept waiting this long for a mission after being summoned, unless there was some emergency going on. And if that were the case, the ANBU would be giving off a much different feeling than their usual, 'I will slap you around like a child if you do anything suspicious'.

Nanashi decided to let his feelings on the matter be heard. "It's odd... to be kept waiting this long."

Anko glared at him before saying, "Well, it talks. No shit idiot." He only shrugged at her insult, knowing better to speak any more. As much as he enjoyed riling up the woman, he did have a degree of self-preservation instinct and knew that if he started their usual quips at this moment that he would once again be fighting this woman. As he didn't really feel like having to fight for his life in the tower itself, he remained silent.

He went back to ignoring her, and was wrestling with the idea of taking a short nap on the bench the two were sitting on before she spoke up again. Her voice was much quieter, but there were no traces of anger in it either. "Been meaning to ask... why'd you freak out that night. I haven't felt that level of killing intent in years."

He actually turned his head to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "You can't be seriously asking me that?" At her confused look he simply grit his teeth. "A child was being publicly beaten. How the fuck did you think I should react?" He didn't mean to raise his voice at her, and he felt an undercurrent of anger that he hadn't felt since his last battle with Orochimaru.

He began calming down when the sadistic, psychotic, and overall mentally unstable Mitarashi Anko, of all people, visibly flinched from his tone. She held up a hand to halt him from saying anything else. "Sorry, that came out wrong." She gave a quick glance around and her voice dropped in its amplitude. "It's just, well I've never seen anyone go nuts over that kid before other than the old man. Didn't even recognize you Nanashi."

A strange part of his mind picked up on her calling him by his 'name' for the first time, instead of one of her usual 'pet-insult' names. He wondered if she did that unconsciously or if it was meant to be some sort of odd form of apology. He turned his head to look at the ceiling before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He began counting down his ninjutsu, from the strongest to the weakest, then tacking on the non-battle techniques to length the count. Not a normal countdown, but hey he was a shinobi after all. No shinobi can claim to be 'normal.' Surprisingly it took longer than he expected before he opened his eyes and spoke to the woman sitting beside him, his voice rather subdued. "That was my primary reason for acting like that. I dislike seeing children abused." That bit was true. There had been many times during the remnant period when their pursuers had thought to use civilian children against him.

The ones who tried? Well, they were met with a rage-driven machine of destruction that even made the Kyubi proud. Not that the conceited bastard would even admit it. Nanashi never liked to admit it, even to his subordinates and friends during that time, but he took great pleasure in snuffing out the lives of those particular bastards.

He took another breath before speaking again, another reason beginning to form in his mind. _Well, there is that too. Though our original theory about it seems to have been broken by my time-jump side-effect. That and well, I can't really prove it since I'm here now and the Kyubi's still 'alive'._ "You know exactly 'who' he was, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I've studied the seal enough to know that it's stable. That boy is not 'it'." Nanashi spoke quietly, but it was better to err on the side of caution. Thus deciding that he was going to choose his words very carefully for the next conversation. "Those fools attacking the boy had no idea of the repercussions of their actions, and if they did they would probably be shitting themselves."

He could practically feel the curiosity of the woman next to him spike drastically after those words. "You gonna explain?"

He only shrugged. "It'll kill time, but prepare yourself for a lot of pretty useless information." He paused for a moment before speaking up again, his voice a little louder, more conversational. "I don't talk about it much, but one of my lesser known talents is that I have a great deal of knowledge in spiritual and demonic lore. Hence I am one of the lucky few that knows that 'it' from eleven years ago was far more dangerous than anyone else in the world does." He didn't feel like mentioning that he had learned most of this information from his former prisoner. The Kyubi had been surprisingly talkative after the fall of Konoha, and Nanashi had found out that, during the times when he was supposed to be resting, it 'was' rather interesting to learn more about what had been dubbed the living incarnation of rage and bloodshed.

It was somewhat scary that the ones who had given it that name had no idea how close to the truth they really were.

"What do you mean? I mean, the fox was the strongest of the tailed beasts, right? What could be more important than that?" While Nanashi had decided to measure his words in the case of eavesdropping, Anko apparently felt no such need. He honestly didn't know whether to be annoyed by this or amused by it.

"Well, there is something actually." He paused for a moment, trying to think of what to add before nodding to himself. "What most people don't know is that 'it' was unique from the others like it for one reason, and one reason only. Care to guess?"

She frowned before saying, "You're sounding way too much like an academy sensei. Cut it out."

He blinked at her sudden rebuttal and soon after let out a small chuckle. "Perhaps. What most people don't know is that 'it' was not simply a demon; it was one of the world's locus points of dead emotions." He held up a hand, forestalling the imminent question. "Hold up, I'll get to that. According to what I've learned, the world is made up of undetectable energy pathways called 'leylines'. Think of it as a chakra system for the whole planet. When someone dies, their chakra is returned to these leylines and likewise when someone is born, chakra is taken from these pathways. Great circle of life, ya know. Anyway, much like how a human body has the Celestial Gates, the planet has several key points that regulate its energy known as locus points."

Anko frowned at that. From the look in her eyes he could tell that she was following him but something seeming to be bugging her. "Wait, doesn't that mean that the fox would have had to been stationary? I mean, the celestial gates don't move around."

He shrugged. "I was just using them as an example. Here's the important part though. Locus points aren't just energy points; they also store what I dub 'emotions of the dead' or 'dead emotions.' Not exactly sure how it works but according to some religious scholars I know, when you kick the bucket, your remaining chakra gets cycled back into the planet's energy. What apparently also happens is that a part of the person's very being, part of their soul I guess, also gets cycled back in. This includes the emotions the person was feeling when they died."

Anko only looked at him as if he was nuts. "I ain't one much for religious crap, but even to me that seems out there."

He shrugged. "I probably wouldn't believe it myself if I wasn't who I was." He blinked and frowned mentally at the slip but fortunately Anko didn't seem to catch it. "Anyway, so 'it' was essentially the storing ground for all the hatred and rage that anyone who has ever died felt at their death. Probably why the thing was so damn powerful. Locus points also can't be simply destroyed by conventional means. They contain too much energy but then again most are never even thought of as being 'alive'. Most take the forms of mountains and rivers and such. Not often that someone tries to kill a river, or vice versa. Hence why Konoha couldn't kill 'it'."

"But the Yondaime..."

"The Yondaime sealed something that was all but immortal into something mortal. Part of that seal's function is to terminate 'it' if the vessel dies." He shot her a glance to gauge her reaction. She actually seemed quite interested in his little story and he wasn't sure what to think of that. "Care to wager a guess as to what will happen if the boy is killed?"

"Extreme devastation and destruction?" She guessed, although there was a hopeful gleam in her tone. That worried the blonde more than anything else. _Maybe I should track down my younger self and warn him about Anko..._

"Eh, think killing intent times a million. The pent up emotion would overwhelm anyone around it and would force a majority of living humans into a berserker rage. So, in a sense yes. Eventually the boy himself will become the locus point itself, provided he lives long enough, at least those who understand this stuff think so." Beneath his mask, he frowned. Maybe we'll get a chance to see this time. Say what you want about those religious monks but they had some pretty interesting theories about my former life.

There was a long pause before her tone went flat. "And you never thought to mention this to the old goat?"

He blinked at that before looking back towards the ceiling. In reality, the Kyubi being a locus point, and by association, his younger self being a future one, had never factored into his decision to save himself. He still wasn't sure why he even bothered to tell her about it, as only a very rare number of people would actually care. Hell, prior to learning it from the Kyubi, a lot of people thought my death would release him. Though, it was a good enough reason as any, and odds are he should mention it to Sarutobi at some point. "No, not really." His instincts caused him to bend forward at the waste immediately, avoiding the kunai slash that looped over his head and slammed into the wall behind him. "That was uncalled for."

In any other situation he would found the twitching eyebrow of the kunoichi before him amusing. But considering that she had just driven a kunai deep enough into the wall behind him so that it was almost entirely unseen, he wondered if he would die before they got their mission. The thought was idle and he resisted beyond all measure to grin behind his mask. Somehow she would know, as all pissed off females were able to know when you did something stupid, and the result of that would be... painful.

He had never been so grateful in his life when the secretary that had been sitting at the desk nearby this whole time spoke up. "You two can go in now." Nanashi shot the woman an appreciative glance, which she totally ignored, not even looking at the duo. As the two stood and walked past her desk, she spoke again. "And that damage is coming out of your pay."

* * *

**Raiton: Kaminari Ryu no jutsu - **This is the Thunder Dragon Technique that was used against Nanashi in his team's battle against the Elites that were sent to retrieve their scroll a few chapters back. He learned it by reading Kumo's Kinjutsu scroll. Forms a semi-autonomous dragon made of pure electricty that soars and attacks the target. High Level users can control the lightning beast at will but Nanashi is not at that level as he is still teaching himself the technique. High A-Rank technique, bordering on S-Rank. 

The whole 'locus' concept just gives a little more insight into the Kyubi and on the possibility of exactly 'why' Naruto/Nanashi was sent back. I'll be revisting this concept later in the future as well, but if you look back tot he prologue, Naruto/Nanashi makes mention of this to his comrades as he is 'dying'.


	11. Chapter 10

Hello again everyone. Here's the next installment. Huge thanks to my beta TheWatcherandReader for helping me clean this up and pointing out some flaws in my writing style that I plan on working on in the future.

Thanks for all the positive feedback as well as the constructive criticism. I appreciate it all, though I could probably do without the one word reviews or the ones that don't even make sense.

* * *

Taioah was a prosperous city that rested on the eastern side of the Fire-Grass border. It had originally started as a small group of farms and a minor fortified camp back during the first great shinobi war. Over time, a trading route that had traveled northeast from Wind country, through Rain and Grass before finally hitting Fire country caused the camp to grow into a small trading town. Traders who followed this route from start to finish and back were able to sell their goods through five countries, as the route continued along Fire country's border until it reached the land of Waterfall. The roads were safe, due to the sheer number of shinobi from the various countries that were on long term missions policing the roads that ran through their countries. After all, the trading posts along the route tended to take in quite a bit of money and all of them wanted to ensure the safety of the route. Several towns along the route, including Taioah, had long-standing contracts with their respective shinobi villages to police the route. Incidentally, the agreement that the trading route should be undisturbed, as all parties benefited from it remaining so, was the basis of the agreements drawn up after the second great shinobi war. It locked the five villages (being Sunagakure no Sato, Kusagakure no Sato, Amegakure no Sato, Takigakure no Sato, and Konohagakure no Sato) into a fairly solid peace agreement. At least it seemed to have been working since the last great shinobi war. 

Taioah itself was hard to explain without actually being there. What had originally been a farming village and later a small trading post had grown into a prosperous city, with its own form of government and security force. Different sections of the city were divided up into the business markets, the grocers who still got their food from the farms on the outskirts of the city, the residential areas and numerous areas that didn't fall into any of the other categories. It was usually in these places where the residents of the city interacted, held festivals of all sorts and more or less went about their lives. Some of these areas were filled with public parks or gardens, while others fell into shadier categories the likes of which would be pleasant for the somewhat disreputable, like, let's say Jiraiya-sama of the Legendary Three, with the ever-popular red light districts. Other areas sometimes held smaller markets which held an odd combination of food, trinkets, and other such things. Stalls were set up and taken down daily by those who sold their wares at these areas, and it provided them ease since they could set up where they wanted and move wherever they wanted to.

The small stall of one 'Madam Tarot' was one of these. The woman sitting behind the small stall was dressed like some sort of strange foreigner, a purple shawl over her head and shoulders with small dangling chains that were attached to its edges. It was hard to make out her face as the shawl seemed to always keep her face in shadow but she appeared to be in her late twenties to mid thirties. She wore shabby white rags that were starting to change color from the dirt that was blown up within the city daily. A small crystal ball rested on one edge of the stall, resting atop a small black cushion. Stored beneath the stall were various 'good luck charms' or 'cursed objects' that the strange fortune teller sold to those who some would call gullible, and others would call enlightened.

Madam Tarot simply thought it amusing.

She had been in town for a few months and was finally beginning to settle into her life in the busy city. She had not known what to expect when she had headed for Taioah, but she couldn't say she had any serious complaints since arriving. Sure, making fake predictions of love for overly romantic woman and of great wealth and happiness for young couples was not where she had expected her life to lead to but it was better than the alternative of staying in her homeland. Fortune telling really had nothing to do with fate or the future and everything to do with the mood of the person making the request. Although she tried to tell herself that she was lying through her teeth to every customer she had, she found herself telling herself more and more often that it was their own fault for coming.

She had just finished giving a palm reading to an elderly woman, giving her a fortune predicting that her good-for-nothing son would be finding himself a nice girl to settle down with, when she first noticed them. It was hard not to; shinobi just had that effect on people, at least when they didn't bother to conceal their presence. The first seemed average enough. A tall man but of an average build. He wore dark cargo pants and a black shirt, along with a thick tan coat that reached his knees. Blond hair pulled and tied back into a small ponytail that looked either really good on him or utterly ridiculous. She couldn't really decide. A black cloth mask covered his face below his eyes and the fortune teller couldn't help but roll her eyes at the stereotype in action, although his companion couldn't be considered stereotypical at all. Slightly shorter than her companion, the woman wore what seemed to look like nothing at all, other than her coat. Upon closer inspection it was discovered that she was wearing a full mesh body-suit and a skirt that barely covered her feminine assets, at least the lower set. Not much was being done to contain the upper set. Her hair was tied back and resembled a pineapple in a way, if it wasn't for the garish purple color. If not for the metal forehead protectors baring the symbol of Konoha, she would have never thought the two to be ninja and more along the lines of Yakuza, or in the female's case, a whore.

The two were simply walking down the street, neither speaking but they didn't seem to be looking for anything either. She lowered her eyes as they came closer, not wanting to attract attention from those two unless absolutely necessary. She waited a long time for them to pass before raising her head only to jerk back as if struck. Both shinobi were staring at her and she had to fight to keep herself from reacting. The man's stare alone unsettled her like she hadn't felt since she left her home village and idly wondered if they were looking for her. She felt an utter chill travel down her spine as the two both smirked before the blonde actually winked at her and the two continued on their way.

She didn't realize it until after they had left but she had been shivering from their gaze. It was unlike her to be intimidated so easily. She frowned as she began reaching for her tarot cards, her body going through the familiar actions of retrieving and shuffling the cards while her mind kept going. _Shit... those two... calm down; they're probably just here on a mission, just like all the others. Don't lose your cool now. They're Konoha nin, the old paranoid fool couldn't have sent them for you. Just don't do anything stupid._

She broke out of her musings as she finished dealing a standard horse-shoe spread. She looked over the cards of the major and minor arcana with more interest than usual. She rarely did her own fortune; fortune telling wasn't real and even if it was, it wasn't like she could do it. It was just a cover after all. As much as she tried to justify this to herself, she couldn't help but feel incredibly uncomfortable as she picked up the last card she dealt in the spread. The card that was supposed to represent the final outcome of a decision in her future.

As she stared at the card depicting the God of Death riding a pale horse, she couldn't help but feel terrified, and she couldn't even begin to justify why.

-/-/-/

The trees on the outskirts of the city were not like those surrounding the village she had grown up in and fought for. They were more scattered, looking less healthy. Hell, they didn't even resemble the trees that she was used to seeing throughout the rest of the Fire Country. Night had fallen quickly over the city and Anko couldn't help but feel nervous about their upcoming task. The lights of the city, small lanterns powered by flickering candles that lined the city streets, gave the city an ethereal glow, that, under other circumstances, she would have found pretty, not that she would have said anything about it. She'd known as soon as they been told of their mission that it was nigh impossible, if not so. She had tried to keep herself in check in the office but surprisingly it was the nameless wonder who had kept her from assaulting that old fool. As she stared at the masked shinobi who was sitting on the ground in what looked like a meditative trance, she couldn't help but wonder when things got so fucked up in her life.

_To be fair though, this one I can't really blame on sensei... Who would've thought that saving the brat would result in this?_

-/-/-/

She had detected something being off when she and her comrade entered the Hokage's office. She had been expecting to see the old man there, smoking his pipe as usual and lamenting about his paperwork with his eyes if not his voice itself, as per the usual when visiting the Hokage's office. She usually ignored the unspoken plea for release. That, or made sure that the reason he was freed from said paperwork was not something he relished doing. _Although, to be honest, that hasn't happened since I was a child._ As much as he would sigh in what seemed like disappointment or annoyance at her antics, she knew full well that those same antics brightened up his day.

Instead, she found another familiar face sitting behind the man's desk instead. She had nothing against the elder currently waiting for the pair, but she still felt uncomfortable with anyone save the Sandaime behind that desk. "Elder Mitokado..." She began, trailing off. Somehow she knew that her usual upbeat antics would not be appreciated by the old man and that saying anything else would not be wise. She had never really been forced to interact with the elder before, but she didn't miss that the man beside her had lost his usual confidence and was almost rigid in his movements. _That's odd... some history there perhaps?_

"Mitarashi-san... Nanashi, was it?" The old man's voice was gruff and it was evident that he was not pleased to be where he was. "It doesn't matter, I suppose. Hokage-sama is currently visiting the Fire Lord for diplomatic reasons and the council has been given authority while he is away. You two have been selected for an A-rank mission. Here are the details," he said, holding up a folder for them to see before placing it on the desk before him.

She only frowned, casting a glance towards her blond-haired comrade as he casually picked up the file. He said nothing as he opening it and flipped through it for several minutes in complete silence, his eyes drifting from side to side as he read. Finally, he closed the file and handed it to her but his eyes were on the elder behind the desk. Those blue orbs were blank and devoid of any emotion but Anko could tell that the man was suppressing 'something'. "And our team?"

The elder simply looked back at the Fuuinjutsu master impassively before answering in a monotone. "There will be no team. We have no hunter-nin or ANBU to spare at the moment so you two will have to handle this." He paused for a moment before letting on a thin grin. "From what your files read, the two of you should be able to handle this by yourselves." Anko frowned as she could also feel the man standing next to her glare at the elder.

Anko decided to see exactly what was irritating her usually calm companion. She opened the file and began flipping through it with a hint of interest._Wonder what's got his panties in a bunch..._ She looked through the papers which seemed to be reconnaissance reports as well as mission reports that dated back to the last war with Cloud over the Hyuga incident. As she finally came to a summary page at the end of the file, as the papers must have been shuffled around by her companion since that sheet was usually the first one in the file, she came to the realization that it was a hunting mission. There was a photo of a kunoichi with short cropped black hair, bordering a shade of indigo, in the upper left hand corner of the mission profile. Brown eyes, high cheekbones and a small nose; all together, a very attractive woman, even Anko would admit. She frowned at seeing the forehead protector of Kumo resting on her forehead but said nothing before shifting to read the other details in the profile. She only read as far as the name before she frowned. _Enrai Setsuka... I know that name, but from where? _It was the nameless wonder who put together the final piece for her. "Do you honestly think we'll be able to kill the Thunder Empress alone? Are you and the rest of the council completely insane?"

It was only then that it dawned on her and she could already feel the headache forming. _Fuck me sideways... Why does my life have to be so damn complicated?_ "Please tell me this is some kind of joke." She all but groaned out as Nanashi connected the final dots for her.

"Oh, do you two have complaints about your assigned mission?" She didn't imagine it, the old bastard was actually smirking at her. Her hand had already shot down to grab a kunai to shove in the old coot's eye when Nanashi's hand reached out and grabbed her shoulder with enough force to cause her to halt her actions. She glared at him but he wasn't even looking at her.

Instead he merely commented, "Tch, might as well execute me. It'd be quicker." The man snapped as he closed his eyes and looked towards the ceiling. He waited for a few moments before speaking again. "Enrai Setsuka, one of Kumo's 'Heavenly Warriors'." Mitarashi Anko had never really made the habit of knowing other countries' shinobi, unless, of course, there was a damn good reason. She now realized why that name had sounded so damn familiar. While Konoha and Fire Country had the Legendary Three, the other major countries had heros of their own. The Heavenly Warriors were Kumo's version of the legendary three; Kumo's four legendary heroes. Young prodigies, all of them with the potential to become the next Raikage. According to what she had learned over the years, the four heavenly warriors of Kumo first made their appearances during the war with Konoha over the Hyuuga incident. All four were supposedly incredibly strong shinobi but didn't function well with others outside their own little unit. They had actually been Kumo's trump card for a while until the Sandaime Raikage, whom, according to Anko's memory of those days, was a paranoid idiot, pulled them from the front lines and had them solely defend Kumogakure. The Raikage's paranoid actions led to Konoha regaining the edge against Kumo in the war which eventually led to the current cease-fire the two nations held.

_And apparently at least one of them is now a missing nin. Fantastic..._ She continued looking over the profile, her eyes locking on the diagram listing the kunoichi's potential. _Enrai Setsuka. Unparalleled mastery over numerous A and S rank raiton techniques, earning the nickname 'Thunder Empress'. Close combat mastery, utilizing a pair of combat knives that no one but her can touch. Bloodline limit has been hinted at but no confirmation as of yet. That little tidbit doesn't bode well... Judging from the accounts listed, the Raikage grew too wary of her and tried to kill her, but failed. Wow... she must've done some serious damage to Kumo for them to place such a bounty on her head. _Anko snapped out of her musings as she glared at the elder and declared, "This is bullshit. There's no way the Sandaime would allow a mission like this. Two middle B ranked ninja against an upper A-class, bordering S-class nukenin, who isn't even a threat to Konoha! What the hell is your game here, you old shit?"

The old man didn't seem intimidated in the least when confronted with the borderline psychotic woman. He merely stared at her blankly before saying, "You should watch your words woman."

Anko growled, but actually winced when Nanashi's grip on her shoulder increased in strength to the point where it caused her some considerable pain for a brief moment. "This seems a little much, Mitokado-san. At least allow us to assemble a team for this mission if it's required."

"That is unacceptable." The old man replied, a little heat in his voice as he noticed the blond's lack of the proper honorific.

"That so? Then this mission, I refuse." Anko snarled out, tossing the folder back to the elder. The man proved that he had been a ninja at some point, aged but honed reflexes catching the thick folder.

"As do I." She hadn't expected the blond to follow her lead but she felt a sense of relief when he released her shoulder. "This mission is totally unrealistic. I do not feel that our abilities alone will be enough to neutralize someone who is able to fight on the same level as one of the sannin." He then narrowed his eyes as he glared at the man who had once been a teammate to the Sandaime. She figured that he was frowning beneath that mask of his as well. "This seems like a rather brutal revenge for merely protecting a citizen of Konoha."

Anko blinked at the odd comment but did notice that the old man seemed to freeze at the statement. It was only then that she realized what was going on. _Wait a second... those old bastards are sending us on a suicide mission because we saved the fox brat? _"You can't be fucking serious."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." The old man seemed to be backpedaling and Anko idly wondered if she should just kill the man here and now and end this nonsense but somehow she knew that she would just get in more shit than she was already in. She frowned at her comrade with annoyance. _This is what I get for helping this idiot out. I really need to go back to being an anti-social bitch._ "Regardless, you cannot turn this mission down. You two are currently the only ones capable of pulling this off and this is an immediate concern of the council. As shinobi of Konoha, you will fulfill the oaths you have taken."

Anko snarled and forgot her earlier hesitation to kill the maggot before her, a kunai already in her hand and prepared to throw when the man beside her once again stopped her. She glared at him, murderous intent in her eyes but flinched immediately when she saw the heat in the cerulean blue eyes of the masked blonde. They were locked on the elder with a hint of hatred and disappointment and she could detect faint traces of killing intent surrounding the man. "...As you wish. Be warned you old bastard, if we survive I'm going to take great pleasure in shoving my foot so far up your ass that it's going to choke you." He then turned and walked out, "Come on Anko." She had followed, mostly in shock. _So even nameless wonder gets angry. Well, I guess I already knew that after what happened with the kid, but to openly threaten an elder? That's something I would do, not Mr. 'Calm and Collected and I know god damn everything'._ She followed him in silence out of the office, though she did take great pleasure in sending the old bastard that was pretending to be Hokage a withering glare over her shoulder that caused the old man to flinch. She only smirked as she slammed the door behind her. _Heh, I still got it._

-/-/-/

Nanashi merely waiting in silence, his eyes closed and his chakra awareness working at its optimal potential. They had to be careful if they were going to live through this. Calming himself with a series of meditative techniques, he only listened in silence as the woman standing beside him finally spoke. "You never gave me a reason why you agreed to that old bastard's mission." Her voice was curious and somehow he could tell she was staring at him.

"I'm surprised you came either way Anko. You could have gotten out of this easily enough. Why did you follow me?"

"Eh, had nothing better to do. Seemed like it'd be fun." Her carefree tone was so convincing but he could tell that she was nervous. Hell, so was he.

Rather than searching deeper, he decided to deal with it the way he always had. He opened his eyes and looked at her, a grin splitting his face beneath his mask. "Remind me to never ask what your definition of fun is."

She only smirked in response, obviously understanding the hidden agreement to not ask anymore. She smoothly ran one of her hands down the front of her body in a tantalizing display before replying in a husky voice. "You sure? You don't know what you're missing out on."

He only rolled his eyes, "Control yourself, woman. Don't make me summon some cold water. Besides, we have company after all." His eyes locked on to the far side of the clearing, waiting for what was to come. He wasn't disappointed as the figure they had been waiting for appeared. The shawl hid her eyes and face and the rags she wore seemed to try to convince anyone who saw them that the woman was well beyond her years. She seemed to stumble forward, as if her legs weren't working well but Nanashi wasn't fooled for a second. He rose to his feet, brushing some of the dirt off of his pants as he greeted the new arrival. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the fortune teller? What brings you out to visit little ol' us?"

He noticed that Anko had dropped her little act and now watched the newcomer with a hint of unease clear on her face. He couldn't blame her, though he expected it was more because the woman had caught her in the act of teasing him more than anything else. The woman spoke up, her face unseen beneath its shawl. "I have come to bring you warning shinobi-san. I have seen your future if you continue down your current path." The woman reached into her rags and withdrew something that looked like a playing card. With a quick motion the figure tossed the card at him with the speed of a kunai, but not too fast that he couldn't catch the thing easily. He turned it up and looked at it and couldn't help but snort at the design present. He held it up to Anko and she didn't bother to concern her amusement.

"Pretty picture." She remarked, a grin on her face before her eyes went back to their guest. Nanashi only shook his head at that. _Only Mitarashi Anko would find the design of the card denoting one's death as 'a pretty picture'. Why do I hang out with this psycho again? Oh yeah, that's right, because I'm just as bad sometimes._

"Subtle, Enrai Setsuka-san." He remarked, tossing the card back towards its owner.

The old croaky voice that had been present before vanished in an instant as the woman caught the card. Her posture seemed to straighten up and she dropped the card before pulling her rags away, revealing a flak jacket over a ensemble of black and yellow. Yellow shorts that ended a few inches above the knee and a blouse that was covered in waves of yellow and black, neither color attracting the eye more than the other with the designs that were there. A headband denoting the village of Kumo was present latched to her right thigh, a prominent scratch going through it. A holder for throwing weapons on her left thigh and a pair of knife sheaths, one on each forearm. A hand reached up and removed the shawl, sending it fluttering to the ground. The same face from the hunting profile was revealed and now that he could see her in person he could honestly admit that the woman was quite the looker. She was trim and fit, and could tell that she must have been a real beauty even a few years earlier and would be for years to come. However, anyone who wasn't blind could still the new addition to her face, a scar traveling down in a slant from her right forehead, across her nose until it reached the edge of her mouth. It didn't seem to distract from her beauty though, if anything it only heightened the effect that her brown eyes gave off. Her face was blank as she spoke, "You two have made your point. What do you want?" Her voice was even but there was a hint of an order in there. Apparently, the Thunder Empress had no desire to extend this longer than necessary.

Anko snorted. "What do you think, lady?"

Nanashi held up a hand, shooting his compatriot a look. _Best try the diplomatic approach first._ "Forgive us for the discomfort we may have caused you, Enrai-san. We are here because we have been assigned to handle your execution by the council of Konoha."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "... You two are hunters?"

"Not at all. We were actually given this mission as punishment. I imagine the council would actually be quite pleased with you if you were to kill us." Nanashi said with a smile beneath his mask. It was evident in his tone however, even causing Anko to snicker. "Of course, if you were to simply leave Fire Country, I suppose everyone would win, save the old bastards on the council. As we aren't hunter-nin officially, we have no authority to pursue you past our borders. You get to go into hiding again, and no one dies." He even sent her a wink to make his point. _And in doing so, we won't be killed by you._ "What do you say, Enrai-san?"

The woman herself seemed utterly confused. He supposed he couldn't blame her. They were handling this 'hunting' mission in an absolutely absurd way. "... And I thought Kumogakure no sato was fucked up. What the hell did you do?"

Anko snorted, "A good deed."

Nanashi only nodded. "Let's just say we helped someone very similar to Nii Yugito."

That caused him to receive dirty looks from both kunoichi. He had the feeling that if they survived this, Anko was going to give him a beating for not telling her everything. On the other hand, the reaction from the former Kumo kunoichi was telling. She glared at him with suspicion and he knew why. There should be no way for an outsider to know of the girl's existence let alone that she was a jinchuuriki. Nanashi had only found out about the girl third-hand or so, from a pair of taunting Akatsuki idiots who turned out to be quite a pain in the ass during the war. Though, between him and the others who fought them, they tore through the small organization with prejudice. He had never encountered the leader of the group, nor engaged in combat with some of its members, but apparently crippling the legendary Uchiha Itachi had made them more than cautious when dealing with the vessel of the Nine Tails. He wasn't sure what happened after that, as that was when the war began to take a turn for the worse and he had been called back to the front lines.

The victory against Itachi had been pure luck. The psychopath had tried to ensnare him in the world of the grasping moon, that mind-destroying genjutsu of his, and was confronted by the Kyuubi itself. Kyuubi did not take kindly to the descendant of Uchiha Madara entering his dwelling, and according to what the fox had told him later, informed the Uchiha genius of that fact. Violently. Needless to say, the Uchiha had been turned into a vegetable after that encounter, his mind all but destroyed by the strongest of the Bijuu.

"... So its true, Konoha did seal the nine tails... And to think that all this time Yugito-chan always thought that she was the only one." She then narrowed her eyes. "I won't ask how you knew about her, because it doesn't matter. Sorry kids, but since you know that I was here, I can't let you leave. It'll just lead the Raikage's goons to me, one way or another."

Nanashi felt Anko tense next to him and he tried one last time to offset the upcoming fight. "Setsuka-san, even if you kill us here, this battle will attract attention and the council already knew you were in this village. You'll have to leave either way. There is no need for combat." He knew that the request would fall on deaf ears though and both he and Anko began reaching for kunai.

"Don't think she's going to listen, shit for brains. What the hell was I thinking agreeing to this?" Anko muttered only loud enough to hear.

He wasn't paying attention any longer. He only watched as the woman raised both arms and withdrew the blades from her forearm sheaths. They weren't kunai, but instead a pair of wicked looking knives, the handles painted black and ridged in such a way for a better grip. "Foolish." She then charged with a speed the blond had not seen for a long time. He dodged to his right to avoid the stabs but Anko was not quick enough as the missing nin slammed one of her blades directly into the woman's side, piercing her kidney with no problem. He watched as Anko screamed in agony as Setsuka slammed a knee into the blade's handle, driving it deeper before wrenching it out in a fabulous display of brutality. Anko keeled forward and vomited blood and Setsuka followed up by driving one of her blades directly into the back of Anko's head, severing the brain stem instantly and Anko's body collapsed. She turned away from the dead woman and looked at Nanashi with a raised eyebrow. "Come on kid, you're going to have to do better than this."

Nanashi merely smirked beneath his mask. "Might want to check again, Thunder Empress." The woman gave a quick glance over her shoulder at the fallen body only to watch as it dissolved into water. He couldn't help but feel the absolute humor in watching her reaction. "We may have been foolish to approach you in this way, but we are not stupid." Within moments, numerous blondes and clones of the serpentine kunoichi appeared in the same clearing, obviously created earlier and had been waiting within the trees.. He then charged some chakra into his hands, forming seals at a speed that were a blur before slamming them into the ground. The blonde funneled chakra into the earth beneath him and watched the woman's eyes narrow as slabs of Earth began forming in the distance. The blonde only smirked at her irritated expression before explaining, "In a shinobi battle, the field of battle is just as important as ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu. And Enrai Setsuka..." The voice trailed off before the blond burst into water himself.

-/-/-/

"... This is MY field!" Nananshi muttered only loud enough so that his companion could hear him. He couldn't help but smile sadistically beneath his mask, his eyes locked on the chakra trails before him. He shifted his hands, one to each side in two separate activation half seals. He didn't look up from his work, but he did speak to his comrade. "It really is a shame you don't have the Byakugan, Anko-chan. You'd get to see one hell of a show."

She only scoffed at his claim, but didn't say anything else. _As if I needed it, you foolish twit. The way that seal of yours works, it's not like any special vision is needed._ She only watched the masked man concentrate on the intricate seal that he had prepared. It was a series of circles that surrounded the space where Nanashi was sitting cross-legged. Some circles were in concentric loops while others seemingly passed through others to provide a very strange and bizarre design that somehow fitted together. Numerous kanji and sealing scriptures were written along those rings in blood, adding a more sinister feeling to the seal itself but nowhere near as disturbing as the sealing matrix that had been used to remove her curse seal. Chakra danced above the surface of the seal, motes of color dancing as if some sort of entertaining light show of blues, reds, greens and one white trail of chakra that the others seemed to be surrounded. According to what Nanashi had told her, the white light represented their target, the blue lights represented his various clones in his image, the red lights were her clones, and the green lights represented the sealed traps that the two had spent three days in advance setting up. The sheer amount of blue, red, and green (mostly blue and green. Anko wasn't a chakra tank like the nameless wonder after all) lights were astounding in that respect, but not surprising considering she and her male counterpart had ingested several soldier pills over the course of their trap making in order to get the numbers they needed.

When he had told her his plan she had only raised an eyebrow is disbelief. The sheer complexity of such a thing could only baffle her mind, ignorant of the deep knowledge of chakra and Fuuinjutsu that her companion had mastery of. She learned once again first hand that she should not underestimate the nameless special jounin as he had set into his task. That night, as the moon began to rise, she watched in silence and disguised awe as the blonde simply settled into his seat, went through an incredibly long series of hand seals before ending up with two separate half seals and whispering. "Fuuinjutsu: Worldly Discovery Field". The light show that had commenced reminded her of something her despicable and ever-so hated sensei once told her. She still followed many of the rules the bastard taught her, as they often made sense, but most others she disregarded or never had experience with.

"_Fuuinjutsu masters are a dangerous lot, little viper. In a straight out battle, they often fall prey to more balanced shinobi, as the art takes an incredible amount of study and discipline often better spent on normal training. Remember this though, little viper. Never let one choose the field of battle. If they have time to prepare for you, engaging one is total idiocy as even the weakest Fuuinjutsu specialist can cripple you without you even knowing what happened."_

_I guess the old bastard was right on another count,_ Anko idly mused to herself as her gaze focused on the small light show dancing before her. From what she could tell, the clones were doing a damn good job in controlling the movements of the Thunder Empress. Nanashi had told her that the light show itself was unnecessary, as the tagged bodies of chakra (the various clones and traps, as well as the foreign chakra which was their target's) were more sensed by the controller of the seal than seen. He was doing it more for her benefit, so she could also keep track of what was going on and prepare herself when it was time for them to make their own move. She frowned at the rate that the lights were beginning to vanish, especially the clones they had prepared for their guest. There were still plenty between their current location and their target but it was still impressive. _One of the Heavenly Warriors indeed. Guess she deserves that name from what I can tell from the nameless wonder's pretty lights._ "She's holding in there."

"Yeah. She's a fast one, and damn good with those knives of hers from what the feedback from my clones are telling me." Nanashi responded, his eyes once again closed but an occasional wince told Anko that he was reliving some of his dead clones' memories. It made her relieved that she had stuck to mud and water clones unlike her companion who had mixed numerous different types into the mix. From what he had explained, he had even thrown in a few explosive clones. _Interesting, considering only that Uchiha nutcase was supposedly able to create those. I've been trying for years and haven't been able to do so._ She only sighed as she continued watching the light show, thinking of their overly simple plan.

_Wear her down, then enter direct combat. Hopefully by the time she reaches us she'll be so worn down, irritated, and/or paranoid about more clones and traps that she'll make mistakes. An idiot's hope, but right now, that's all we got._ _Man, I hope the masked idiot appreciates my being dragged into his mess. And when I get back to Konoha I'm so hanging that old bastard by his intestines. _"You realize that if she makes it past the traps and clones she's going to be pissed off beyond recognition, right?"

"Of course. I seem to excel at pushing people to that point. I consider it an art form." He remarked and Anko couldn't help but laugh slightly. Mostly because the tone of his voice showed that he was grinned beneath that damn mask of his.

-/-/-/

_Bloody fucking hell! They just keep coming!_ She ducked the trio of shuriken that were flung at her face by another one of the preset traps and once again found herself on the run. She ducked a punch from one of the male clones and sliced the things throat open without even breaking stride. She didn't even wait to see which type of clone it was before jumping away to avoid an explosive seal that had detected her presence. She used the force of the explosion to her advantage, twisting her body until her feet impacted on the bottom of a large tree branch using chakra. She knew better than to stay in one place, however, and instantly dove back into the fray, her twin combat knives slicing and dicing like she hadn't since she left Kumogakure no Sato. The branch itself was soon torn to shreds by yet another hail of shuriken and kunai but she was already back to the ground level, slamming her twin knives into a pair of clones' eye sockets before once again jumping away.

Whatever she had been expecting when she confronted the two hunters earlier that evening, it hadn't been this. Since then she had been swarmed by what seemed like an endless number of clones, who seemed to take great joy in herding her towards areas where kami knows how many traps were set. Had the blond and his companion been allies, she would have been in awe of the amount of forethought the two had put into this confrontation. As it was though, she was just becoming more and more irritated. _This is taking too long, and I can't even tell if the real ones are even in the area!_ She slide around another clone's defenses, driving a kick backwards and dispelling it into nothingness before throwing one of her combat knives at the nearest incoming clone. The blade struck true and she was already running to reclaim it as the clone fell back into a puddle of water.

_Enough of this._ She frowned to herself as she re-sheathed both blades in their respective places before forming a series of hand seals. While she had been unmatched in Kumo at close combat fighting, especially once she started using her blades, where she really shined was her jutsu and it was high time that this small army realized that. She waited for another group of clones to close in on her before finishing the jutsu, spreading her hands apart with electricity crackling between her two outstretched hands. "Raiton: Thunder Ball." She couldn't help but smirk as she saw the various clones' eyes widen in shock as she threw out two attacks; balls made of contained lightning that tore through the clones before exploding, taking out the entire wave with a flourish and a bang. She didn't have time to celebrate her victory however, as more clones came to take their place. Dodging once again, leaping from the ground back up to the canopy of the tree line, she went to form seals again, the grin leaving her face. _This is just getting ridiculous. Stop playing their game, Setsuka. Just wipe out the fakes and hunt down the idiots who had the balls to play with you._ "Raiton: Chain Lightning." Once again, lightning leapt from her hands to strike her target and she watched with sick satisfaction as the clone she struck didn't dispel immediately, instead twitched violently in what must have been excruciating pain before dispelling. It didn't matter though; as soon as that lightning bolt struck it immediately split off into numerous other small lightning streams, striking numerous other clones and creating a recursive effect.

Despite the small victory, she felt the find knocked out of her as one of the female clones somehow snuck under her guard and drove a brutal fist into her gut. She was blown out of her spot in the trees back to the ground with flourish, as she recovered and landed in a crouch. She cursed as she hit, however, feeling the trip wire go off and leaping to the side immediately to avoid yet another brace of shuriken that pelted the ground she had been standing on. "Oh screw this!" She growled under her breath. _Fine, they want to keep playing games, I'll show them why the hell even that paranoid fuck who runs Kumo has reason to fear me!_ She went into another series of hand seals, this time much longer than any she had previously used in the battle. Even while dodging attacks from clones she didn't halt her seals, demonstrating her level of concentration in her task. Finally she finished, her hands locked in the final seal. The clones halted as they could somehow feel the gathering of enormous chakra. A few exchanged odd looks, and even more took a few steps away from the kunoichi, despite their numerical advantage and have her surrounded. That was all the time she needed, her brown eyes starting to shift to a even brighter green color. If any of the clones noticed the change, they didn't have time to say anything. She spoke as if delivering an ultimatum the likes of which could end the world. And moments later, it would in a sense.

"Raiton: Thunderstorm."

High above in the atmosphere, clouds began gathering and darkening in the night sky. The sound of thunder and the ominous swirling of clouds in the sky above was warning enough, but none of the clones were prepared when the attack actually began. When it came it was like the wrath of an infuriated kami, lightning falling from the sky as if intent on pure destruction. Bolts of pure devastation fell into the forest, destroying trees and more importantly the numerous clones and traps. A few of the clones tried to escape but none were fast enough to escape their doom. Nothing was safe from the storm's fury, save the one female with the eerie green eyes with her hands locked in a seal. When the bolts struck her, instead of frying her like it was doing to the various other targets, the bolts would bounce off harmlessly, like a dart hitting its board back the tail end first. Whenever one struck, it bounced off and formed a visible dome around the kunoichi, glistening with electrical current.

The onslaught only last for moments but for the few clones who survived the attack, it seemed that it was forever before the fury of the skies settled. The gathered storm clouds didn't dissipate but the woman opened her eyes to glare at the survivors with a blank expression. The forest that she had been in previously had been torn asunder, leaving her the sole being in a newly created 'clearing' (calling it such would imply that it was clean when it was filled the remains of what used to be a section of the forest) that was over forty feet in diameter. Fire flickered freely at the edges of the jutsu's range and the clones that had been waited for the wave before them to disperse merely stared in confounded shock at the devastation. Many of them exchanged glances before looking back at the kunoichi who still hadn't moved from her spot. One of them in the guise of the Fuuinjutsu master summed up the situation best.

"We're fucked, aren't we?"

_Yes you are. And so will be your creators when I'm done with you little shits._ The kunoichi's answer wasn't verbal, but it was clear what she was thinking as she spread her hands apart, electricity crackling around the edges as her changed eyes narrowed in what was sure to be anticipation. _I think I'm going to take my time killing those two idiots._ As she charged into the fray once again, she finally picked up a pair of chakra presences in the far distance that matched the clones in front of her. "There you are."

-/-/-/

"Fuck!" Anko glared at Nanashi as the man visibly flinched back as if struck across the face. A large number of lights from the reconnaissance seal the man had constructed had been lost in an instant and apparently the feedback was enough to get the man to react. "Holy shit..."

"What? What just happened?"

He only looked to the sky in the distance, his eyes opening in sheer disbelief. "She just revealed why the fuck they call her the Thunder Empress." She followed his gaze to see the gathered clouds in the distance over where the battle was taking place. Every now and then another bolt of lightning would shoot down from the heaven's as if directing the wrath of kami. "Fuck, we're so in over our heads here. Moreso than we imagined."

Anko frowned at the open unease in the man's voice, which was unsettling to her. _This is the cocky bastard who never shows fear and takes great pleasure in mocking people who he should be afraid of? He's reacting this badly? That is not a good sign._ "Ditch the mission?"

He only shook his head, disengaging the seals he was holding, the lights vanishing into the air. He pulled out a soldier pill and ate it, tossing her one as well. "It's a little late for that, she's already tagged our chakra signatures. She's on her way. Time for part two of the plan I guess."

Anko only nodded in understanding before taking the pill he had tossed her. She tossed it back and swallowed, feeling the rush of the chemical energy stimulate of her own chakra highway, refueling it almost instantly. She cracked her head to the side once, enough to hear it crack before lowering her hands to her side. No sooner than she did so, with a flash of light they had company. At first she thought she had just seen the technique that had made the Yondaime famous during the last great shinobi war, but that thought was dashed as the electricity crackling around the woman dissipated.

Nanashi didn't glare at their guest, nor did he react at all. He simply watched as the woman straightened up to her full height and glared at the two of them. He felt Anko tense beside him, already palming a kunai into her hand. Silence reigned until the missing nin spoke up, "I have to give you some credit. You've managed to piss me off and that's no small feat."

Nanashi only smirked, feeling the tension but trying to react to it the way he always had. "So I've been told. It's an art form, really." He ignored the glare shot to him from his companion. "So... I'm guessing that you're not going to let us run from you after all that."

The kunoichi's green eyes glared at him, a spark of something passed through those emerald orbs. "No. And I'm going to take great pleasure in killing you two idiots."

Anko only scoffed at that. "It was this shithead's idea."

The man in question only rolled his shoulders as he settled into a stance. "Sure, blame the perfectly innocent fuuinjutsu user. Typical." The words were said with a hint of amusement, but the tension in the air only seemed to increase as he spoke. He leveled a glance at the Thunder Empress before speaking again. "Shall we dance then, Setsuka-san?"

The scarred kunoichi simply charged the two, withdrawing her blades with no excess movement. Anko and Nanashi only had the time to exchanged quick nods before launching themselves into the battle as well. The three began an intricate dance of combat, the two nin from Konoha trying to avoid the sparking blades of the other shinobi. The blades danced with visible sparks of electrical current, informing the Konoha nin of the workings of chakra being channeled through the blades. Anko kept trying to slash the other kunoichi with her own kunai, getting nowhere as she had to spend most of her attention to avoiding the other blades. Nanashi was locked into a similar position. He frowned beneath his mask as he leapt back, preparing a ninjutsu attack while his partner tried to bind the missing nin with her own trademark technique. "Sen'eijashu!" The snakes shot out from underneath the woman's trench coat towards the missing nin with a speed that surprised even Nanashi. _It seems that with the curse seal gone that she's begun improving as well. Interesting... _

The kunoichi looks surprised to see the appearance of the snakes but proved that she was still a shinobi, reacting fast enough to avoid the first wave of the snakes' jaws. She tried leaping upwards to avoid the snakes' path but was caught off guard as they suddenly changed direction and latched onto her left leg. Nanashi dared hope that the shock would be enough and launched into his own attack. "Wind Slash Technique." He said it softly while finishing the seals and making a sweeping motion with his right arm. Wind was Nanashi's true elemental mastery. Even before venturing into the realms of Fuuinjutsu, he had developed his own wind mastery in order to take advantage of his strengths. While unlike his two elemental matrices, he still needed to do the hand seals to perform most of the wind jutsu he used. However, there was no comparison when it came to destructive power. He doubted that most of his high level Raiton and/or Suiton techniques could even begin to compare with some of his mid-level Fuuton jutsus. Visible only to a wind manipulation master's eyes, a thin blade of wind chakra flew towards the ex-Kumo kunoichi as his arm completed it's motion, rotating in such a manner that it would have surely decapitated her had it struck true.

Sadly, it was not to be that easy for the two would-be hunter-nins. The kunoichi didn't seem to notice Nanashi's attack but she dealt with the snakes trying to latch on to her by merely grunting. Forming bastardized versions of hand seals thanks to her blades that she held, she finished the technique fast enough to avoid true harm from her reptilian annoyances. "Raiton: Static Shock." The snakes released immediately, once again shocked into submission by the same technique that had been used against them once before by their master's current partner. With the snakes gone, she glared at the woman who had unleashed them. She sensed the blonde's attack coming, even if she couldn't see it. When the attack struck true, all that remained was a log that had been split in half by the blade of wind. Anko barely sensed their opponent before turning fast enough to avoid being impaled by one of the Thunder Empress' blades. She would've had her throat sliced open by twin horizontal strikes from her opponent if not for the appearance of Nanashi, driving a fist across the scarred kunoichi's face in a devastating right cross.

Both Nanashi and the scarred kunoichi disappeared when it was revealed that the kunoichi was simply a lightning clone, causing the man's own shadow clone to disperse as the electricity dispelled its attacker. Anko blinked at the sight before sensing danger again and leaping backwards, avoiding a pair of knives thrown from above. She leapt back until she was standing next to the blonde again, nodding her thanks for the shadow clone assist before turning back to the opponent, who had landed where her knives had impacted. She slowly withdrew her knives from the soft dirt and settled back into her stance, waiting for the two Leaf nins to attack again. It was only then that Anko finally noticed the woman's changed eyes and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in interest. "Oh, it looks like we confirmed that scarface has a bloodline limit after all."

Nanashi nodded at the woman's statement but said nothing else. _That's nice and good but we have no fucking clue what it actually does. So far all I'm seeing an eye color change. If we have to go up against another damn doujutsu I'm going to be annoyed._ "Care to enlighten the ignorant, Setsuka-san?"

The woman only glared at her opponents, before slowly sheathing her twin blades. She stood up straight and spoke softly. "Well, it's not really a secret. I'm surprised you don't already know." She then shot a nasty smirk towards the two before adding, "Like I told those clones of you. Shitty hunters, you are." She paused for a moment, seeming to enjoy the tension that seemed to be growing as time drifted on. "It doesn't really have a name. As only my father and I possessed the ability, it can't even qualify as a true bloodline limit. However, it allows unparalleled control over the manipulation of Lightning based chakra, even going as far as to reducing the amount required for techniques." She then allowed her sadistic grin to deepen as she held up one hand. "Case in point... watch carefully idiots. By the time you see the flash..."

Nanashi watched as a small light appeared in the woman's upheld hand as she began flashing through half seals with the other. He cursed immediately, reacting by throwing one of his three pronged kunai to the side with as much force as he could. _Fuck! No fucking way is she doing that here and now!_ Without another word he moved closer to Anko and wrapped his left arm around her while making a seal with his right hand. Just as he grabbed the purple haired kunoichi, he heard the hum of power in the air and the scarred kunoichi's soft voice. "Raiton: Raikouhou."

Raiton jutsu were, by their very nature, destructive. Even Katon jutsu could be used for other purposes than destruction, although that was still limited in itself. While very weak raiton jutsus could be used to charge electrical batteries or complete an electrical circuits, at their very core they were techniques of pure destruction. Ironically, even allowing for the elemental game of jan-ken-po that jutsu played, it still concealed the true destruction in raiton techniques. Katon was limited, as most were required to come from the user's own throat, which could easily damage and kill the user if they were not careful. Raiton was inherently different as it more relied at the electrons upon the area around the user to form the electricity required. As such, raiton jutsu on a whole had the potential to be far more deadly than the most powerful of Katon techniques.

Enrai Setsuka merely smirked as she watched the burst of light completely annihilate her two foes. The bright light and loud roar similar to thunderbolts were an enjoyable sensation to her, as she watched the technique's effect in something close to euphoria. She rarely used this technique, due to its massive chakra drain and the fact it was far from useful in most shinobi confrontations. She was one of the few from Kumo who had been able to use this jutsu without killing herself from the chakra drain, thanks to her 'bloodline limit'. It was part of the reason she had earned the name 'Thunder Empress' during that accursed war over the damn Hyuuga eyes. As the blast finished and she lowered her hand, she looked over the line of destruction that went farther back than she could visibly see. She knew if one was to look from above that they would see that the forest itself seemed to have a thick line cut into it as if a blade of the divine had slashed through the trees. "... you're already dead."

_Perhaps that was a 'bit' of overkill, _the kunoichi mused to herself as she watched as more trees and branches fell into the path of destruction, small fires already starting up. Raikouhou was a technique for destroying 'armies', not individuals. She would have to leave this place soon, as using that technique was sure to attract attention, especially from any roaming Kumo oinin. She thought of the two from Konoha and frowned. _I wonder if they really thought they could match me? Oh well, it's their own fault for pissing me off._

She was broken out of her musings as she felt something heading towards her. She looked to her right to see a kunai speeding towards her head and she was barely able to tilt her head to avoid the thrown weapon. As the blade passed her head, it cut into her cheek, leaving a very small cut that wasn't even enough to bleed. She looked towards the direction the blade had come from but was caught off guard as she heard a familiar voice behind her. "Fuuton: Daitoppa." The blast of wind caught her completely off guard, slamming into her backside with the force of a small tornado. It sent her flying towards the same trees she had been facing before at an absolutely absurd speed. She gasped in pain from the initial impact of the skill that she had barely heard whispered by her blond-haired opponent but it was fleeting. The technique may have knocked the wind out of her but she was more than able to recover, twisting in mid-air as she approached the trunk of one tree, bracing her own feet with chakra to cushion the heavy impact. Her feet impacted against the tree trunk and even with the cushioning she was still driven through the tree's bark, sending her tumbling.

She rolled with the fall eventually making it into a one-knee crouch. She forced the pain to the back of her mind as she unsheathed her blades in a single upward movement to block a downward slash from a kunai held by the snake using kunoichi. The snake user didn't seem surprised by the improvised block, and sent a brutal kick into Setsuka's face. She grunted in pain from the blow and stumbled upwards into a standing position before feeling a pair of arms holding on to her waist. She didn't bother trying to see who was holding her and was barely able to replace herself with a lightning clone before the one holding her exploded in a display of pyrotechnics. She watched her two opponents from her new position in the tree branches above in surprise. _They were able to survive? Perhaps they're worth more of my time than I thought._

Both Konoha nin looked up at her position but held different expressions. The woman's was obvious disappointment at her survival from the explosive clone. The man's was a bit more interesting. His mask apparently had come off during the exchange, revealing a lean face faded markings that almost looked like... whiskers? The expression he held was a mix of being impressed, shocked, and uneasy. Finally he spoke up, "Please tell me you didn't just perform Raikouhou with half seals."

She raised an eyebrow at that. _Hmmm, so this one knows of that technique? _"Enjoy the light show tree-huggers?" She asked, her voice not sounding amused but rather measuring. _The fact they were able to avoid the blast is worrying enough, let alone him getting behind me somehow without my realizing it._

He only shook his head, "Son of a bitch." He then gave a slight bow of his head, not removing his eyes off of her though. "You definitely deserve that title of yours then."

Setsuka watched as the purple haired woman seemed to finally take in the damage the two had somehow avoided. Judging by her actions, Setsuka realized that it was the masked man who had somehow saved them from the wrath of Raikouhou, as the snake user seemed baffled. She spoke up, not turning her eyes away from the destruction. "Oi, shit stain! You know how to do this one?"

"I do." That surprised the former member of Kumogakure no Sato. _Odd, I figured that only the upper echelons of Kumo even knew of this technique's existence, let alone have the ability to perform it._

"If we survive this, add it to the list of the jutsu you are teaching me." The statement was calm and casual, as if not talking about a forbidden S-rank attack jutsu but rather an odd C-rank technique.

Setsuka watched as the man simply glared at his companion before returning his eyes back to her. "Fucking psychopath." She couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the two's byplay before raising her knives and diving back into the fray.

-/-/-/

Anko grunted as she pulled herself into a more comfortable position, holding her stomach wound with one hand as she watched from her hidden alcove as her 'partner' engaged the Kumo kunoichi. Shortly after that scarred bitch had used the jutsu that Anko had unofficially dubbed the 'fuck-it-all no jutsu', the bitch had re-entered the battle with a speed that had surprised the two would-be hunters. They had held her off for a while, but the odd combination of raiton techniques and close range knife techniques had begun to wear on the former apprentice of one of the legendary three nin of Konoha. She held no doubt of her own skills; they had fought the scarred bitch in a close battle for quite some time, both her and the nameless wonder using their skills together fluently in order to even give the scarred kunoichi a nasty wound on her left arm. Unfortunately, it seemed the same wound had caused the Thunder Empress to decide she no longer needed her one blade. Anko had been caught off guard by the close range throw of the combat knife, which slammed into an off-center position in Anko's stomach. The piercing attack alone was enough to cause Anko to halt her attack from the enormous pain, but the follow up thrust kick directly into the knife's handle made the kunoichi drop to her knees lick a rock in agonizing pain, vomiting up stomach acids and her own blood.

The pain was far too overwhelming that she didn't even notice the kage bushin that had taken her body from the battle until it made sure she was a good distance from the fight and dispersed itself. As she slowly drifted back into awareness, she realized she had been leaned against a tree trunk a good distance from the battle in a sitting position, the combat knife still in her gut. She cursed in pain but didn't avert her eyes from the battle, wondering how long the masked idiot would last in a one on one battle when the two of them had been barely able to hold the Thunder Empress off. As she watched the blonde redouble his efforts against the Thunder Empress, she was forced to realize something she would have never believed previously.

That Nanashi was far fucking stronger than she had ever realized.

It was amazing really. Her absence from the fight completely transformed the fuinjutsu master's combat style. He once again showed his mastery over the Kage Bushin no jutsu as he summoned clones to aid his fight, allowing them to engage the scarred bitch in both hand to hand taijutsu as well as them concentrating all of their chakra into devastating ninjutsu techniques that Anko had never considered the idiot being able to use. _Hell, if I'm right than the bastard actually used the Yondaime's fucking jutsu. It sounded like a god damn myth and then this masked bastard pulls it out of his ass! Who the hell is he?_ As awareness began to coalesce more and more (unfortunately, this allowed the immense pain to be brought back into the forefront of her mind), she found herself frowning weakly at the fight before thinking one thing. _Has that fucker been holding back all this time?_

The thought initially angered Anko, as if she had been the link that had held him back from fighting at his full strength, like she was some kind of weakness to the unknown shinobi. She grunted her teeth as she pushed herself to her feet, still leaning back against the tree trunk with heavy breathes. She could feel the blood running down from her wound and soaking into her skirt and running further down her right leg. She made a silent promise that if she survived, she would take great pleasure in driving her foot down the bastard's throat.

Upon closer inspection however, she realized that it wasn't that he wasn't holding back anymore. She was able to understand that he was still going all out. The only thing that had really changed was 'how' he was attacking. His face, usually either amused or expressionless during fights, had twisted into a visage or rage as he attacked the Thunder Empress wildly and without restraint. The number of Fuuton jutsus the blonde was using was increasing and Anko finally realized that he truly was a ninjutsu specialist, despite all his work with Fuuinjutsu. _Judging from his choice of jutsu, his affinity must be wind. A real tri-elemental jutsu master then, who would've thought?_

She was only able to watch until the two fled in the opposite direction, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She only took deep breathes, trying to stabilize herself with her chakra and breathing as she had been taught before slowly reaching for the knife in her gut. She ignored the burst of electricity that shocked her as she wrenched the blade from her side, tossing it away with a loud grunt. She formed seals as steadily as she could, making sure to not mess up the seals for the one medical jutsu she knew. She couldn't afford to have to start over after all. As she finished it, she watched the odd green glow surround her hands and she went to work to slowly healing her wound. As she continued her work she could only think one thing.

_Stay alive, Nanashi. We're not going down to this bitch, not after all this!_

-/-/-/

Nanashi was already breathing hard as he led his target as far from his injured comrade as he could. He was wearing down, he knew it and he knew that she knew it. It was his own fault. When Anko had been taken out with such brutality, he snapped and started throwing out wind jutsu in an attempt to tear the bitch to ribbons. He knew that if he had still had Kyuubi sealed within him at this point, he probably would've have already formed two tails from that one attack alone.

Nanashi may have been changed during the war with Sound, but the more things change the more they stay the same. And Nanashi never did stomach attacks against those he cared about very well.

After the initial rage, he realized that moving the scene of battle was more important, lest the snake using kunoichi was caught up in his torrent of overpowered techniques. He calmed himself as best he could, trying to remember the mindset that had served him so well during the remnant period. While the Sound-Leaf war had molded him into a powerful shinobi that could have easily become the Rokudaime Hokage, it was that post-war period that consisted of an even more secret war against Orochimaru that truly made him into someone worthy of the title.

As he broke through the trees to another clearing, he was greeted with the sight of a decent sized lake. He took this into account already, forming a few kage bushins to stall the Thunder Empress for a precious few seconds while he pulled out another soldier pill. He held up for a moment, taking in the surroundings before setting up a rudimentary plan and preparing for his opponent. He then swallowed the pill and hoped that his chakra would hold out on him.

Solider pills were useful shinobi tools for those of Konohagakure no Sato. They were decently expensive unless a more private deal was made with the Akimichi, one such as the Inuzuka clan held. But they weren't the true chakra replenishing miracles that they were touted as. While they would restore a user's chakra supply through the use of the secret Akimichi ingredients that would instigate a chemical reaction within the body, they also had a small side-effect that few noticed. Few noticed the flaw because rarely was more than one pill taken within a certain timeframe. While the pill would restore chakra, it would, however, decrease the shinobi's overall chakra control. It wouldn't be enough to disrupt a shinobi's control to the point where it would cause a jutsu to fail, but it would however start causing the user to use more chakra for their techniques subconsciously. Thus, the same series of techniques would drain the user faster after using a pill. In Nanashi's case, having taken far more of those pills than could be healthy in the last few days, it was starting to really take effect.

He turned and waited for the scarred kunoichi and was forced to dodge as a ball of pure lightning was thrown in his direction. _Raiton: Thunder Ball... Using similar attacks against her would be pointless, as even with my matrix I'm sure she has more skill with them than I. Stick to Fuuton and Suiton, with other techniques to mix it up a bit. It's been stupid to hold back my true strength in this case. If I live through this I'll have to apologize to the snake bitch.__Okay, that allows for Rasengan and its child techniques. Hiraishin no jutsu is out; this isn't a good environment for it and I'm sure she already suspects something considering how I avoided her Raikouhou. Then again, it only need to works one more time. _He was snapped out his musings as he was forced to lean back as a knife slash passed near his face, drawing a slash of blood under his mouth. He retaliated, leaping back and forming seals, his eyes locked on his opponent and more chakra anchoring himself to the ground. "Fuuton: Wind Tunnel."

Similar to Setsuka's earlier display over the weather when battling against the score of clones, the clouds in the sky above began gathering ominously, only this time without the thunder. Setsuka frowned as the winds in the clearing seemed to pick up, especially around her. She looked up as she watched the leaves and branches begin spinning around her and realized what was happening. She quickly leapt away from the place she had been standing, watching in shock as the ground she had been standing on was torn to shreds by the debris that was circling it. She landed on the lake's water effortlessly, trying to figure out her next move as she held her defensive stance.

This was exactly what the Fuuinjutsu specialist was hoping for as he lashed out with his left hand, the one bearing his Suiton matrix. With a burst of chakra, he whispered the technique. "Suiton: Uzumaki no jutsu." While he admitted it was a tad arrogant to name this technique using his own real name, it really was the best name for it. The water beneath the Thunder Empress began spinning at a rapid rate, already beginning to pull her under. She noticed this and tried to jump away but was caught off guard as the Konoha-nin forced out another burst of chakra with another technique. "Suiton: Grasping Water Skill." A pair of small hands made completely out of water shot up from the spinning whirlpool, locking onto the woman's thighs, preventing her from jumping away. _Now, FINISH IT!_ He thrust out his arms out to the sides, pumping far more chakra through his body than could be healthy at that moment. Considering what he was attempting to do and his condition from the soldier pills, it could easily fry his chakra system but he needed to end this now. He didn't take his eyes off of the scarred kunoichi as her eyes widened in horror as two dragons formed slightly in front of him. One made of water from the lake that was currently spinning out of control, the other formed from pure electricity, a product of one of her former village's own kinjutsu scrolls. The two dragons roared as one before launching themselves towards the restrained kunoichi, interlocking with each to form a chakra charged missile.

The impact was nothing short of awe-inspiring. Water shot high into the air with the concussive force of a bomb. A good portion of the water had changed into a heavy mist from the blast, providing a fog of concealment that was very similar to the Hidden Mist Technique that made the ninja of Kiri famous. Nanashi didn't notice this however as he feel forward, only catching himself at the last moment to turn his fall to land on his hands and knees. He was breathing heavily, drained of chakra to an extent he had not felt for a long time. He didn't take his eyes off of where his target was though, even as the heavy mist began to dissipate. He didn't know what to think when he saw nothing left at the lake's center, though he was oddly pleased when he noticed that the lake itself seemed a bit shallower.

So distracted by the chakra drain, he could only feel his blood freeze when he heard her voice. "Now that was an impressive display there." He knew he shouldn't show any fear or hesitance to her but he couldn't help but slump slightly as his failure was revealed to him. "Lightning clone." She supplied to his unasked question. "I won't bother asking how you learned that technique, as it's one from one of the Raikage's personal scrolls. I will give you my compliments, however; performing that technique without seals and actually combining it with one of a completely different elemental nature takes skill."

Nanashi chuckled hollowly, still not moving in his position. "I didn't even know that 'could' happen."

Setsuka seemed amused this time as she answered. "Ah. If it makes you feel any better, you were able to get me to not only use my bloodline limit, but a good portion of my chakra as well." He heard her unsheathing a knife and she finished up. "Though, the game ends here hunter-san." Instincts kicked in and Nanashi shifted his body posture and wait, already drawing a three pronged kunai from his coat sleeve as he turned but wasn't fast enough. He was locked in place when her blade stabbed into his chest, generating a level of pain he had not felt in years. Electricity raced through the dagger as well, opening up new definitions of pain for the fuinjutsu master. He couldn't know but his hands began twitching, the one the one holding his special kunai already releasing its weapon of choice. He could only stare in pained shock into the once again brown eyes of the Thunder Empress. He coughed a few times, blood flowing freely from his wound and mouth but was able to say nothing else.

An odd part of his mind thought idly, _so this is how I die._ It was the last coherent thought he had as he forced himself to do one last thing. He felt the chakra gathering to his hand and he knew that the woman who held his life in her hands noticed it as well, as her eyes glanced down to his right hand. _This is it, the last move. Can't even add the wind to this one._ He didn't need to look see if the technique was completed; the woman's look of surprise as he locked on her shoulder with his left arm was free enough. "Rasengan." He wheezed out, slamming the ball of spinning chakra into the woman's stomach. He felt the resistance but it didn't last under the grinding power of his father's most destructive technique. He was forced to release his flimsy hold on his target as the jutsu blew her back, slamming her into a tree trunk with enough force to leave an imprint. He fell soon after, unable to support himself with the chakra drain and pain from the blade that was still lodged in his chest.

Setsuka groaned in pain as she forced herself out of the tree trunk. The pain she had been feeling in her arm had vanished in the wake of the overwhelming agony she now felt in her stomach. She took a few deep breathes, trying to will the pain away with a form of concentrated meditation that sometimes worked but it had no effect. Or maybe she just couldn't concentrate enough with the pain. She didn't really want to look at herself to see the wound but forced herself to. She grimaced as she noticed a wide spiral slash covered the area where her prey had struck her. While the blood was present, she could feel that it wasn't enough to truly harm her. _Thank god for that. If he had actually been able to sustain it for any longer I'd probably be dead._ Her glare was set upon the would-be oinin and she wasn't surprised to see that he had fallen backwards without her to support him. Her remaining knife was still lodged in his chest and she idly considered leaving it there for him to bleed to death while she dealt with her own wounds. It would not take long, considering where she had impaled him. _Better not take any more chances. These two fools were more dangerous than you gave them credit for. Kill him now, find the woman and finish her, then bandage your wounds._

She slowly walked towards the blonde, fully aware of all the aches and pains that ravaged her body now, whether they were physical or acute signs of chakra overuse. As bad as the masked man dying before her looked, she knew she looked no better. _A shame, really. He could've really been someone in a few years if he hadn't challenged me._ She frowned at that thought. _Hmm, the pain is causing my mind to wander. I guess I underestimated the damage._

That would be the last thought the kunoichi would have before a thrown kunai slammed into the back of her head. She would not feel any pain from her sudden death, nor would she last long enough to understand what had just happened. She simply collapsed; a puppet with no strings. She would never see Anko stumble into the clearing, breathing heavily and her right arm twitching as if she had pulled it by throwing the blade so fast and hard. She would never watch the purple haired kunoichi stumble over to her comrade and pull the knife out harshly, probably causing more pain and damage than necessary.

"Shit stain, you alive?" Anko rasped out weakly as she kneeled next to him. She was exhausted, and it was obvious to even the most untrained.

He tried to smile, really he did. All it resulted in was him hacking out blood, the wound on his chest pulsating as he did so. "Not for long it seems." He struggled to say it out loud, as the pain seemed to cause him to stutter.

It was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured on the snake user. She instantly went through a series of hand seals and spoke. "No way, you bastard. No one kills you before I do. I owe you far too many ass-kickings." Her hands turned a pale green as she placed it over his wound.

He was able to let out a small smirk at her words. _Heh, so much like me it's scary..._ He knew that he was dying, he honestly didn't expect his healing factor to work so well, as drained of chakra as he was. _This is probably it. Looks like I wasn't able to change the future after all._ He reached up and weakly grabbed her shoulder with one hand, ignoring her words that he thought were something along the lines of 'fuck off and stop moving.' "The boy... Naruto... take care of him." He was able to wheeze out.

Anko glared at him for moving so much while she tried to save his life. He looked pale and that was a sign that didn't exactly inspire confidence in his chances of survival. She was surprised at how accepting his body was of her chakra though. She knew that while she had sealed her own wound up with this technique, she was truly lucky that the blade she had in her had not punctured any organs, unlike the one she was glaring at. While she knew a lot about human anatomy, she was no medic and therefore would never be able to treat wounds this serious. However, his body seemed to just be accepting her chakra and doing its own thing, which seemed like it was helping. She didn't know why the man was speaking of Konoha's resident Jinchuuriki at the moment, but judging from the man's eyes it seemed like it was a last request._Fuck, is it that bad? Or is he just covering his bases if he does kick the bucket?_ She had always thought the concept of a last request was idiotic (after all, what do you care anymore? You're fucking dead), but she also knew how sincere the man lying before her was being simply by the shine in his eyes. "Fine, I'll watch over the little shit in case you kick the bucket. Now stop fucking talking or otherwise I'll actually have to do it." The man's body sagged at her words and his eyes drifted shut as if satisfied. Anko was having none of that, raising her voice as she yelled at him. "Don't you fucking dare go to sleep nameless wonder! Stay the fuck awake or I swear I'll beat the shit out of you." She continued her yelling, the whole time her hands pumping in chakra to his damaged body. "Don't close your fucking eyes!"

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That's it for this installment. Next chapter is mostly an interlude with some of Nanashi's 'past' but will lead into a timeskip (about a year or so, leading into the main naruto storyline.) It's then that the butterfly effect will start coming into play and I plan on having all sorts of fun with some of the characters, especially Anko, Naruto, and Sasuke somewhat. (Let's just say that over the course of the timeskip, Anko will pick up a new hobby of trying to get the Uchiha to snap.) I'm already about halfway done with it, though I admit it'll probably be a shorter chapter. Once I'm done with it, I'll send it to the guys who have offered to beta for me and eventually fix it up per their suggestions and post it. 

Now I'll address the complain of the cliche Naruto x Hinata pairing. I'm not a fan of this pairing either. I despise Hinata for a long list of reasons that I will not get into. I think they would be a horrible couple, not just because of her but because of Naruto's own issues at this point in his life. I do however, think it is something that would happen due to Naruto's characterization. Quite frankly, I think he would latch on to the first female who treated him in that manner, as he has essentially been emotionally beaten his whole life. I don't see any of the others girls in the Konoha 12 doing this. They may respect him a bit more after the Chunnin exams and such, but none of them (Hinata excluded) started seeing him as anything other than a friend or 'comrade' if you will. I'm sure that if Hinata ever worked up the courage to actually tell Naruto about her feelings (someone would eventually push her into it) that he would accept them wholeheartedly and return them as such, simply because he feels thats what he has to do.

I don't know, maybe the relations between the two in the manga have changed since I've stopped reading it. (I quit after the retrieve Gaara arc but know bits and pieces of what's happened since then). It's one of the reasons why I have a tendency when I write Naruto stories to do them with an AU time line. I can't be yelled at for inaccuracies that way.

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Edit: 11-15-07. Forgot to add the extra section for this chapter.

Character Profile: Enrai Setsuka

Alias: Thunder Empress, Heavenly Warrior of Kumo, Electric Princess.

Former Village: Kumogakure no Sato.

Former Shinobi Rank: Jounin.

Nukenin Rank: A-Rank, bordering on S-rank.

Bounty: 80,000 Ryou.

Physical description: Average height and slim build. Prominent scar on face.

Age: Roughly 30ish. True age unknown. Youngest of the Heavenly Warriors of Kumo.

Eye Color: Brown normally. Green when using bloodline limit.

Hair Color/Style: Short cropped hair bordering on an indigo shade.

Specialties: Armed taijutsu, Raiton ninjutsu/kinjutsu.

Bloodline: Unnamed bloodline limit. Forces the user's eyes to switch to a green when in use. Allows easier use and manipulation of Lightning based chakra, including reduction of amount needed for high-level techniques. (Note: I originally planned to do much more with this but decided to not to. Her role in this story is minor overall so I wasn't going to go and create the mechanics of this entire bloodline.)

Background: Member of Kumogakure's own version of the Legendary Three. The Heavenly Warriors of Kumo was a group of four shinobi, Setsuka being the youngest and only kunoichi of the group. The group was made famous during the short war over the Hyuuga incident, known for being able to take on large numbers of enemies and emerge unscathed. The four only worked well together, and when separated tended to cause more problems than the enemy due to the fact that they despise people in general. After the war, the four warriors drifted back into their normal missions as ordered by the Sandaime Raikage. Known to be a disruptive influence due to their behaviors and the fact that they held a hero's status. Setsuka was close to the Jinchuuriki of Kumo, Nii Yugito, and treated her like a niece of sorts. The Raikage knew of this, and thinking that she was trying to 'corrupt' Yugito against him, attempted to have her killed. Setsuka fled Kumo after a protracted battle and went into hiding ever since. Roughly four years have passed since this incident.

New Justu:

Fuuinjutsu: Worldly Discovery Field - Unranked support-based Fuuinjutsu. Technique allows for one to seed a field of their choosing with chakra boundaries, and grants the ability to the seal to track chakra signatures within said field. The larger the field, the more intricate the seal, as it can be grown to the user's wishes provided they have enough space to make the seal itself. Technique is mostly used to track movements of soldiers(shinobi) in battle in order to keep track of the battle's progress but if Fuuinjutsu based traps are set, they can be activated via this seal as long as they are picked up by the field. The technique was developed during the remenant period during which Nanashi and his followers were on the run from Sound's eradication parties.

Raiton: Thunder Ball - Mid C-ranked Raiton jutsu. User creates a ball of pure electric charge, held together loosely by chakra, and throws it at their enemy. The size of the ball depends on the amount of chakra used in formation but the larger it becomes the more chakra is needed to actually throw it. When thrown, it has the velocity of a cannon ball, as the throw is part of the technique itself. On impact, releases the contained electricity in an outward blast. The technique has limited range however, no matter the ball size, because the ball begins losing its charge as soon as it leaves the user's hands. If it travels too far without hitting anything, it will dissipate completely.

Raiton: Chain Lightning - Mid B-ranked Raiton jutsu. User shoots a blast of lightning from their hands that strikes a target, electrocuting them. After striking one target, the bolt will split into several smaller bursts that can cause damage as well. Each consecutive strike reduces the amount of power in the free bolts. As such, the first blow is the most fatal and over time the bolts become harmless if split too many times. Due to the nature of of the skill, it becomes difficult to charge as much electric current into this technique than other Raiton jutsu, hence it's B rank.

Raiton: Thunder Storm - High A-ranked Raiton jutsu, bordering on kinjutsu. User summons a violent thunder storm that rains down destruction over a wide area. The bolts that rain down cannot be controlled but are incredibly powerful. User is protecting from the falling bolts by a strong chakra-based shield that causes the falling bolts to bounce off. Since it cannot be controlled, it is rarely used when Kumo nins work with each other, as they could easily wipe out their own team if they are careless. Bordering on a kinjutsu due to the incredible chakra drain that takes place in the user to both summon the storm and maintain the chakra field to prevent themselves from being wiped out.

Fuuton: Wind Slash Technique - Low B-ranked Fuuton jutsu. User creates a temporary blade of wind that travels along the path their arm makes as they complete the jutsu. Unstable to most users, as the chakra required is precise and too much or too little with make the jutsu fail. However, if done correctly, the wind blades that are sent out are capable of cutting through solid iron.

Raiton: Static Shock - High C-ranked Raiton jutsu. User uses the static electricty surrounding them to release a potent burst that is capable of shocking those near the user. Power direct depends on the amount of chakra used as well as the amount of free floating electrons in the area. Range is severely limited, even in the most powerful cases.

Raiton: Raikouhou (Lightning Style: Thunder Roar Cannon) - S-ranked attack ninjustu and labeled as a kinjutsu. Raikouhou is probably the most powerful Raiton technique in existence. User summons and fires off a overwhelming amount of electrical energy focused over anywhere from a narrow to wide area. The narrower the attack path, the more chakra control that is required. This is a technique that is not to be used in normal shinobi combat and is limited in that manner. However, that is an attack that is completely capable of wiping out entire armies if used correctly. The most chakra draining technique ever devised by any shinobi of Kumo as the chakra required is more than enough to kill groups of jounin level shinobi. The use of the technique typically results in death of the user due to chakra drain and Enrai Setsuka is only able to use this skill due to her bloodline. It is unknown how many times she could use this technique if necessary. Only of Kumogakure no Sato's most secret techniques and it is locked within the tower of the Raikage. On a side note, Nanashi(Older Naruto that is) also knows this technique as during the war with Sound, he and his mentor Jiraiya did several personal favors for the Yondaime Raikage. The man never thought that Nanashi would be able to use it, so didn't see the harm in letting the teenager see the scroll with the technique. He cannot however use his lightning matrix to perform the technique as the amount of chakra being channeled becomes too unstable if he tries. He must use normal hand seals to perform it.

Fuuton: Daitoppa - (This technique used to be on wikipedia but I can no longer find it. Thus I do not have a true rank or description of it). Wind based attack that is capable of sending entire groups of shinobi flying if used correctly.

Suiton: Uzumaki no Jutsu (Water Style: Whirlpool Technique)- C-ranked ninjutsu. Creates a violent whirlpool in a body of liquid. Typically used to destabilize an opponent who is using the water walking skill or as a distraction.

Suiton: Water Grasping Skill - C-ranked ninjutsu. Creates arms and hands made of pure water to hold an opponent in place. Like all Suiton jutsu, requires a body of water nearby to summon the hands from and maintain their hold. Using Nanashi's Suiton matrix to form water out of the moisture in the air does not work, as a constant body of water is needed to hold the victim in place. A variant on the Water Prison Technique.

I think that covers it. Sorry for forgetting this section the first time I updated.


	12. Chapter 11

Sections in italics denote flashbacks. I know it is a bad way to do it, as it causes some people problems when they read, but it seems to work. More Author Notes at the end.

Once again, I must thank my beta, TheWatcherAndReader, for going through this installment and correctly my horrible grammar as well as pointing out other things for me.

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_ Naruto awoke with a burst of sensation that he could have gone without. His eyes shot open and glared at the one who was standing over his prostrate body. He had been fighting for close to seven years and it was not the first time he had exhausted his body past its limits in a long battle. It was half way through the war when he realized it was often better for him to go all out and exhaust himself to unconsciousness, then allow himself a short recovery period, usually ended by a low-grade raiton jutsu that medic nin used sometimes to restart someone's heart. Usually the short time resting would allow the fox to recharge his reserves enough for him to enter the battle again with the wrath of a demon. The jutsu still hurt him like a bitch for the short duration it was used to wake him up and he still wished that medic nin used smelling salts like every other shinobi to wake patients. _

_Then again, maybe they only used it on him._

_He didn't waste time thinking about it any further, already sitting up and standing with his genin teammate's help. There was no need for words between the two, especially as Naruto took in his surroundings. They had worked together so closely over the years that they could communicate without words, even in what would pass for normal conversations during the few times they weren't fighting. Simply by looking into her eyes, he knew several things, the least of which was that the battle was still ongoing. _

_He took a look around to realize that he was in one of the rooms within the tower that had been converted into a field medic station. Tsunade had always known that there was the possibility that the war with Sound would one day come back to the gates of Konoha, and had planned for it. Changes to the design of the tower and many of Konoha's other facilities reflected this prediction of hers, and none doubted the changes might one day be necessary. An extra set of walls had been built inside the village's perimeter, made mostly of rock and bark, courtesy of the sole man alive still capable of Mokuton jutsus and reinforced with Fuuinjutsu designed by the vessel of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The clan compounds had been turned into secondary command centers, the academy a storage bunker. _

_He glanced out the window of the room and watched silently as he could see the signs of battle in the distance before shaking his head and removing himself from Sakura's grip. She didn't say anything at his movements, already matching his pace as he began walking. "Two hours." That was all she said, answering his unspoken question of how long he had been out. The last thing he remembered was fighting at the North gate, where the heaviest fighting was. Apparently, one of his squad had brought him back to the tower so he could recharge his batteries._

_He nodded in understanding as the two continued through the tower before finally reaching what the old pervert had dubbed 'the war room'. In reality it used to be the tower's cafeteria, but had been converted to a makeshift planning room, complete with maps of Konoha and its surroundings. Off to the side, more medic-nin treated the injured and covered those who were dead. Shinobi were coming in and out, bringing reports from the front lines and relaying orders back to various defensive squads. _

_Naruto had spent an enormous amount of time in this room for the past forty-eight hours since the attack began. He had to, as he had become an unofficial field commander for a portion of Konoha's forces since the death of his mentor, Jiraiya. He delegated the planning to his old classmate, Nara Shikamaru, but it was never in doubt that he would be the one to take the shadow genius' plans into fruition. Tsunade was there, but she was often preoccupied with the medical teams and the movements of the ANBU and the rest of Konoha's forces. _

_Naruto and Sakura didn't waste time, instantly walking over to where Shikamaru and several others were gathered around one of the maps of Konoha. Portions of the map were crossed out with a black permanent marker and there were a number of Go stones at various points on the map. Naruto was far too used to seeing this, knowing full well which color stones representing friendly and enemy forces alike. "Shikamaru, what's the situation?" _

_The Nara genius didn't bother looking up, his eyes locked on the map with what appeared to be complete concentration. "We've lost the outer defenses, but the inner walls are holding, though we can't say for how long." The voice was that which one would not expect from a man so young, gruff, unfriendly, and sounding as if one was sick of the world and wished for nothing more than to leave the madness behind. It was a tone that many had gained over the last several years, the war with Sound raging for longer than anyone anticipated. The shadow user pointed to a ground of stones near where Naruto knew the West gate and market district were. "Hyuuga Hiashi is holding the outer Western gate but its only a matter of time before they have to fall back to the inner gate before they're overwhelmed. Scattered fighters from the Inuzuka clan and several detachments of ANBU have met up here," the Nara genius shifted his finger to an area near where he knew the hospital was and several white stones were placed, "and are reinforcing the units we have stationed there temporarily until further orders. The South and East gates have been forced back to the inner walls as well, but Root forces are holding on in the South and Shino's unit is holding on in the East. I'm considering sending another detachment there to help though."_

_Naruto nodded but raised his eyes to look at the other leaders. Not many were still around, either having passed away or were already out in the field. He recognized the mask that denoted the man who had served as a temporary field commander for him after he had returned from his trip with Jiraiya early to fight in the war. He had been given a code name but had served with the man enough to earn his respect and learn the man's true name. He was still the ANBU commander and Naruto had faith in Tenzo's abilities. Although it wasn't natural, he did have the blood of the Shodaime running through his veins and that had to count for something. He had been the Sandaime's trusted retainer for many years before the old man's death at the hands of his traitorous student, and had continued serving the Godaime in his memory if not out his own loyalty to Tsunade._

_Standing on the other side of Shikamaru was the old bastard Danzo, leader of Konoha's 'Root' forces, along with his aide who wore a non-distinct animal mask. The old one-armed ex-shinobi was glaring down at the map, as if wishing to incinerate it with his gaze alone. Naruto had detested Danzo for the entirety that he had known the treacherous bastard. The man's sheer arrogance at his own importance and his maneuvering behind the scenes had cost Naruto men on the field of battle before, deaths that were avoidable if the man had put the interests of Konoha before his own, whatever they were. Tsunade had stripped the man of almost all power but she could not wrest 'Root' from his control, as the men and woman who were part of it followed his commands as if he was a deity to be worshipped; the mindless pawns he had crafted them into. They did not need to add civil war to their list of problems._

_Naruto recognized a few others but he finally noticed someone who wasn't there. "Where is the Godaime?" He asked bluntly, already praying to whatever kami were still out there that the woman he considered a surrogate grandmother was still alive. He had lost Jiraiya and so many others already, and he knew that he would lose more before before this battle ended._

_No one answered him, but no words were needed. Sakura's flinch and inability to meet his eyes at his question was answer enough. He did follow Shikamaru's eyes to see one of the beds that held injured shinobi. Resting peacefully in the final bed was a wizened figure. He wouldn't have even recognized her as the Godaime if it were not for the distraught Shizune who was kneeling beside the bed, her anguish palpable. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. _There will be time to grieve later, focus on what's happening now. _He opened his eyes before looking to Sakura. "How's Katsuyu?"_

_She looked back to him, wiping the tears from her eyes. She made a few hand seals, the ones typically used for summoning, but without the required blood. Doing so allowed a summoner to open a link to their respective summon and skilled summoners could speak to those that held their contract. It was a trick that Kakashi had taught the two of them after Naruto's return and it was incredibly useful. "No good. She was able to dispel Manda but she is also too injured to continue."_

_Naruto cursed under his breath before continuing. "Gamabunta is the same way." He looked back to the map, taking specific note of the black to white stone ratio on the map. It was not looking pleasant. "Shikamaru... give it to me straight, what are our chances?"_

_The genius looked up at the blond for a moment, his expression blank. The silence between the two was only interrupted by moans from the injured. He didn't bother looking at the other two commanders; both had seen their share of hopeless situations before and knew fully what it meant. Shikamaru, Sakura, and Naruto were the ones of the young generation who were finally being forced into desperate situations with no hopes of victory. "We will be able to last for a time, but unless something major happens they will overpower us. Orochimaru and his nation of tone-deaf freaks simply have too much manpower in this battle, despite the fact that most of them are simply ninja fodder. For every one of his we kill, ten more take their place. The shinobi are tiring, the medic-nin included, and with Tsunade's death our morale has hit a dangerous low." He paused for a moment, his eyes glancing back at the map before straightening up and looking his old friend in the eye. "I'm sorry Naruto. It's only a matter of time now." Years ago, the blond and his pink haired teammate would have glared at the Nara for his statement. They would've fought tooth and nail to get him to take it back and then prove that it was feasible._

_They knew better now. They knew as well as the others who heard the shadow user's bleak statement that he was right. Naruto watched as Tenzo's face shifted slightly, his eyes closing in resignation. Sakura had the tell-tale signs of tears forming, yet struggling to keep them from falling at this critical point. Even that old warmonger Danzo let out a shuddering breath. Naruto only shook his head, wondering at the unfairness of it all._Suck it up boy. Nothing in your life has been fair. Move on and figure out what to do._ He closed his eyes in thought, the voice of his mentor urging him on. His thoughts were correct; there was no one else to lead. Too many had fallen to Sound's forces and before the night was over even more would._

_The only things that broke the silence were the moans of the injured at the sounds of new casualties being brought into the war-room to be tended. He heard the soft steps of Shizune as she stepped up beside him, on the other side of Sakura. He didn't open his eyes and look at her, as she had to be more than aware of what was coming. He could practically smell her sadness. Without looking, he placed a comforting hand on the two medics' shoulders, though he couldn't tell if it was to comfort himself or the two he was standing between. It was as he held them, even in that impersonal way, that he came to a decision. _So be it. If this is the fate that we have been dealt then so be it. The will of fire that epitomizes the shinobi of the Leaf shall burn brightest before its end.

_"Danzo." He opened his eyes and glared at the elder who had a confused look on his face. The Root commander and his lackey of the moment looked up to see a face burning with resolve, and tinged with a hint of something they had not seen since the Yondaime's final act. "If I give your men orders, will they obey them?"_

_"No. They are bound to me. You know this, Uzumaki."_

_Naruto nodded, fully expecting such an answer. "Then listen to me." He then looked around and met the gazes of all present. "All of you. These will be the final orders I give." He felt Sakura place a hand on his shoulder and gasp. She tried to say something but he cut her off by speaking, his voice reeking with the authority that he would have had as the Rokudaime Hokage in a different world. "Shikamaru, the attack is concentrated in the north and east. Send reinforcements to the south to crush that line of attack before having them, all of them, reinforce Hiashi's troops in the west and central areas. Danzo, send half your forces to the north and east to reinforce the inner walls, and leave the other half in this central area."_

_Shikamaru looked at his friend with an odd look before looking back at the map with a speculative expression. His frown became apparent as he looked back to his blond haired friend. "You aren't..."_

_Naruto didn't answer him, instead looking at Danzo. "Pass the message along to the defenders to start falling back, but funnel the enemy to the central area."_

_Danzo's expression was blank but it was easy to see that he wanted more answers. "What is your plan for victory Uzumaki?"_

_Naruto simply scoffed. "Victory? That's a moot point isn't it?" The words were vicious and even those who were on good terms with the blond flinched from the tone. "Konoha has lost this battle and this war. You know this as well as I do, you old fool. That bastard snake isn't going to accept a surrender from us, not that we would, and will not hesitate to kill each and every one of us, including the civilians, to mark his victory over the village he's been trying to crush since who knows when." He looked back to Shikamaru before lowering his voice. "Start getting the civilians out of the shelters. We'll head for Wind Country. Gaara will accept us."_

_Danzo looked openly angry now. "You would run and hide behind that demon? Abandon Konoha? Have you completely lost your mind?" He yelled at the jinchuuriki. He was shut up when a kunai was thrown and a line of blood was revealed on his cheek. All eyes looked back to Naruto, who held his hand in its throwing position with a fire in his eyes._

_"You know as well as I do that this village will be no more this time tomorrow. I may not be able to protect this village but I will protect the people of this village with my final breath. That 'demon', as you call him, is one of our allies, and my brother in everything but blood. The civilians will be accepted by Wind, as will the shinobi if they change their allegiance." He paused for a moment before adding, "And if you inform him that his protection is my final request, he will protect them. Not even Orochimaru is foolish enough to attack Sabaku no Gaara on his home turf, especially after he crushed that snake's former Akatsuki partner."_

_A chill descended upon the ground and Naruto swore that even some of the medic nin and their patients were looking over at the rising tension. "Naruto..." Sakura began but he cut her off again. He knew that if he let her try to talk him out of what was to come, then he might falter. _I can't now. Too many are at risk. Well kid, you always wanted to be Hokage and now you might just die like one.

_"Tenzo, gather as many ANBU and Jounin as you can outside the tower in one hour. Only get volunteers, preferably those who have already had children to carry on their clan. We won't be coming back."_

_Tenzo let out a sigh in resignation before saluting. "As you wish." He gave a look to Sakura who was looking between the two ninja, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing, before poofing away with typical shinobi grace._

_"Shizune, Sakura. I want you to start preparing the injured for transport. Leave the dead and the soon to be dead; there's nothing we can do for them now." He paused, before looking at Danzo and Shikamaru. He refused to meet the eyes of the two medic-nin that he saw as family. "Can you two handle the specifics?" _

_"And what are you going to do Naruto?" Sakura finally asked, an edge in her voice that was a combination of fear and anger._

_"I will lead Tenzo and the others. We'll hold them off as long as we can."_

_"You honestly think you will be able to do that much?" Danzo asked, his expression once again showing nothing. Even his voice betrayed nothing._

_He looked at the old man. "We are abandoning this village. There is no more reason to hold back. Tenzo, the others and myself will hold them off while you make your escape. Then with the last of my chakra, I will temporarily release Kyuubi back into the world. His hold on this world won't last long, but he'll be so eager to cause havoc that he'll tear anyone still around into shreds. Our deaths will also trigger mass confusion in the surviving Oto forces and no I don't have time to explain." Danzo slowly nodded, cooling down as realization kicked in. Shikamaru looked lost as to what to say but Naruto reached across the table and grabbed his shoulders firmly. "Listen Shika, we've got no choice now. I'll buy you time but the rest of you must leave this place!"_

_"No!" All eyes turned towards Sakura as she glared at her blood brother. She looked ready to fall apart at the seams but that didn't stop her. "We're not leaving you!"_

_Naruto looked at the others before nodding to Shikamaru, Danzo and Shizune individually. He placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder and gently led her away from the others. She followed but her defiant and tear filled eyes never vanished. The two walked slowly out of the war room and Naruto knew what was coming and didn't relish in his future role. They reached the Hokage's office, sending a fresh wave of pain through both of them as they thought of Tsunade, but entered before closing the door behind them._

_As soon as the door was closed, Sakura turned on Naruto, furious. "You are not doing something so suicidal! There has to be another way!"_

_He held her shoulders gently and looked down at her. He had grown over the years and now easily towered over her small frame. He looked at her and idly wondered if this was the last time he would ever see her. She had grown into a true beauty, just like he always knew she would. She still worn that same style of dress that he had grown accustomed to since he returned and knew that in another world, under better circumstances, she would be a highly sought after woman. Hell, even now during the chaos of this war, Rock Lee still tried to woo her. It had provided quite the amount of entertainment over the years on the front lines. "Sakura."_

_She shook her head, reaching up and grabbing the scruff of his shirt. "No fucking way, Naruto! I'm not letting you do this!"_

_"Sakura."_

_"No! We're going back in there. You are recalling all of them and we're going to figure something else out." She was practically breaking into sobs now and he couldn't help but pull her into a strong embrace. Her grip nearly crushed him as she pulled him in tight, shaking like a leaf. He couldn't help but feel terrible at seeing her like this. She hadn't been this upset since the two of them had learned that Sasuke was truly lost to them._

_The night that Hinata was brutally tortured and killed before Naruto's own eyes._

_He closed his eyes and placed one hand on her pink haired head, rubbing gently as he decided to let this moment come. He wouldn't be around much longer either way, best to enjoy it while he could. "Sakura, listen to me please." She tightened her grip but said nothing else. "We've lost Sakura. Everything is over. Orochimaru is going to kill anyone who survives, if we're lucky, but, knowing that bastard, he'll use us for his sick experiments or turn us into mindless slaves using god knows what sort of kinjutsu he's learned over the years. I won't let that happen to anyone, to you, if there is something I can do to give you all time to escape."_

_"You can beat him!" She yelled into his chest, releasing one hand and banging hard against it. _

_He shook his head. "As much as I value your high opinion of me, we can't win this. Gaara will protect you all for now, and the snake won't pursue. He can't make open movements towards the Western border without alerting Suna, Ame, Kusa and Taki. Iwa will begin to move as well, as those other three are simply buffers between the Land of Fire and them."_

_She said nothing but Naruto could hear the one he considered a sister crying softly and he just held her tight, allowing himself this moment. After a few minutes of this, he heard her voice. "I can't talk you out of this, can I?"_

_"Sorry Sakura. I always have fought for my precious people and always knew I would die for them. You would have better luck trying to catch the wind. Believe it." The two separated and he tried to smile for her but was met by a smoldering glare from her._

_"I'm fighting with you then. And don't even try to tell me otherwise Naruto. I've lost everyone else I care about already. If... if you're going to leave me too then I want to be there right alongside you." _

_The intensity in her emerald eyes was overpowering and Naruto wondered where that meek girl he once knew vanished too. They were the eyes of a fighter, of a shinobi, and they gleamed eerily like those of her former mentor and master. He knew that he had no chance of talking her out of it, so he just smiled as he released her. "I'd rather you not... but I know those eyes." She smiled, reaching up to wipe away the tears that had been there before nodding. He nodded once before grabbing her shoulder with his left hand. "I love you, Sakura. You know that, right?"_

_She rolled her eyes and nodded. "Of course."_

_"Good." She never saw it coming and in retrospect, knowing Naruto as she did, she really should have. The fist impacted into her gut with no warning and close to no mercy, despite having no chakra in it. She bent forward, the air rushing out of her and the last thing she heard before everything went dark was a statement loaded with regret. "I'm sorry, Sakura."_

_Naruto held the unconscious kunoichi in his arms as she slumped over. He brushed her bangs away to see her face fully one more time before lifting her bridal style and heading back to the war room. People were already packing up and leaving. Obviously the final orders had been given and even the wounded knew what was coming. It made Naruto wonder how long he had spent with Sakura but shook it off as he saw the familiar form of Shizune and Shikamaru leaving the war room. Shizune looked concerned at seeing her fellow medic unconscious but Shikamaru only frowned at the scene, already having an understanding of what had taken place. Without any words, Naruto handed off Sakura's body to the shadow user who accepted the package with the utmost care. He knew that Shikamaru wouldn't give him any grief for his actions; he had done the same for Ino in the past with Naruto, the roles reversed. He simply nodded in understanding. "Troublesome idiot. Don't worry about her. I give you my word that we'll get her out of here."_

_"Thanks lazybones. I appreciate it."_

_"Naruto what-" the black haired medic began but was cut off when Naruto embraced her as well. She returned the gesture but frowned in realization. It was easy to see that she didn't like the man's decision but would not argue it with him._

_When he released her, he shot another glance at Sakura sleeping in Shikamaru's arms before coming to a decision. With quick motions he reached inside his shirt and withdrew the Shodaime's necklace. He removed it from his neck and looked at it in his palm for a moment before clenching his hand around it. Without any words, he held one of Shizune's hands and forced the necklace into it, albeit gently. Shizune gasped when she realized what he had given her; Tsunade's acknowledgment and respect. She tried to give it back to him but he held it in her hand. "Please give this to her when she wakes up, Shizune nee-chan. Tell her I'm sorry and that I love her like the sister she is."_

_It was a while before Shizune finally nodded, closing her hand around the cursed necklace. Naruto tried to ignore the tell tale sign of tears beginning to form in her eyes as she muttered, mostly to herself. "And this damn cursed necklace takes another one dear to me..."_

_Naruto reached over and cupped Shizune's chin, forcing her to look at him. "Hey, none of that." Seeing her confusion, he released her but continued speaking. "The necklace isn't cursed, nee-chan. It simply gives its wearer the power to do what needs to be done. Tell Sakura that as well." Anything else that Naruto might have said was cut off when the sound of a shinobi appearing behind him caught their attention. Naruto raised an eyebrow as Tenzo reappeared before him, face stern but showing the expression of one waiting for an order. _Wonder if that's the face he'd show if I was Hokage. Oh well... _"I see. It's time then." He looked back to Shizune and Shikamaru and gave them a final smile. "See you guys on the other side."__The ramen-loving shinobi then made the seals that would bring him outside, giving the two a sad smile. With a puff of smoke, both Naruto and Tenzo were gone._

-/-/-/

_Naruto overlooked the gathered shinobi with something between surprise and pride. Surprise that so many were gathered before him and Tenzo, and pride in his fellow shinobi. When he had made that request to the ANBU commander, he had not expected so many to gather for what was sure to be a suicide mission. But as he stood before the large group of masked individuals he couldn't help but allow himself a small grin. He nodded to Tenzo before stepping forward, preparing to give his final orders before his eyes locked on a few at the edge of the ANBU, unmasked but just as willing to fight as their black ops comrades. He looked over at the familiar faces and couldn't help himself. "What the hell are you guys still doing here?"_

_Standing off to the side, four familiar figures stood with near identical smirks on their faces. Well, maybe not identical but they were all smirking with the exception of Konoha's dual colored beasts who were all out grinning in anticipation. At least Naruto hoped it was anticipation. The first to speak was at least predictable, in a sense. "You think we'd just let you have all the glory, dead-last?" Kiba's canine companion barked in agreement as the two stared at the blond with identical wolfish grins. _

_Naruto only grinned back, but knew he couldn't let that one slide. "Oi, oi, oi. Can you really still call me that considering I can kick your ass dog-breath?"_

_The ever stoic Hyuuga Neji only shook his head as the two once again degraded into their childish bickering. "Come now, Naruto. You did not really think that we would sit this one out, did you? I, for one, am quite looking forward to see the fate you carve out of this... nightmare." Naruto didn't bother to address Neji's dry voice. He would not look down on the Hyuuga's presence as a burden. If anything he was glad to have Hinata's cousin once again fighting by his side. Even if it would be the last battle the two would share._

_"And you two? Here to prove the flames of youth?" Naruto asked the last two, grinning wryly. He had grown past the... eccentricities of Maito Gai, and his son in everything but blood, Rock Lee. They were the epitome of Konoha shinobi, despite their mental conditions but Naruto knew that their antics were always a boost to morale in the units they fought with. It was just impossible to stay angry at the two taijutsu masters for very long. They were simply too damn optimistic, and that was something they sorely needed right now._

_"You are most correct Naruto-kun! This is our time to shine and show that the flames of youth can never be put out!"_

_"Yosh! Gai-sensei is right!" Naruto couldn't help himself and he chuckled at the two before walking back to his space in front of Tenzo. He slowly composed himself before looking over the gathered shinobi. He took a deep breath, ignoring the sounds of explosions in the distance as what must have been the collapse of one of the inner walls. Finally he opened his eyes and looked at the shinobi of Konoha with determination that shone in his blue eyes. _

_"Folks... I ain't gonna lie to you. I have no authority to give you orders, nor do I feel that I should have such. I am no ANBU commander, I am no Hokage. I'm just another Jounin, like most of you behind those masks of yours. The truth is that this is not a mission, nor is it a coherent decision. This is a suicide run, and none of us will be coming back. If any of you have problems with this, leave now and no one will fault you." He paused for a moment as he overlooked the shinobi before him. Not a single one even so much as twitched at his grim proclamation. "Simple fact is this: Orochimaru started the war, we fought him at every turn, but in the end...we lost. Konoha falls today." Another pause. "What we do now is in order to preserve the will of fire that is at the heart of that which is Konoha. The shinobi of Oto are here for our blood and for the blood of our families. It's time we show them just how much the price of blood costs, especially ours. And let's make sure that we collect!" There was a sort of cheer from the gathered shinobi, sounding off in agreement at the blond's decisive pledge. "If this is the shitty ass fate that those bastards in hell have dealt us, then before we join them in hell and kick their asses, let's show them the sort of tenacious bastards we can be!" Another cheer arose from the gathered group, causing the Uzumaki to grin savagely. _

_Another pause lived on before the sound of Hyuuga Neji's voice rang out. It still held the same regal and calm tone that Naruto had known for years and often teased the man about. Somehow it was fitting at this moment. "What are our orders? Uzumaki Naruto, Rokudaime Hokage of Konoha."_

_There was an odd sort of silence before Kiba's brash voice shot out. "May your reign be short as hell, dead-last!"_

_Naruto only grinned at the barbs, his own chuckle mixing in with the laughs of the gathered shinobi._Gallows humor at its best._The sound of an explosion went off in the distance and Naruto's grin turned slightly more determined. "Well, boys and girls, it looks like the snake's bitches have placed their orders. Let's show our guests just how damn good our service here can be!" With that he turned and the levity, however slight, that was in his voice vanished at once. "For Konoha!" He yelled loudly, slowly walking towards the fires in the distance to the North._

_"FOR KONOHA!" He felt more than heard or saw the shinobi fall into step behind him, matching his pace as if it had been rehearsed. He tossed a look over his shoulder to see the members of the ANBU discarding their masks, replacing them with their natural expressions of determination. The time for such hiding and deception was gone, and they all knew it. The sight was oddly touching for some odd reason for the young man whose gaze traveled back to his own friends._

_As he began hearing the sounds of battle becoming louder, he yelled back. "Oi, I bet you guys I get more Oto scum than you do!"_

_He grinned as he heard Neji scoff but Kiba mutter something in agreement but unsurprisingly it was Rock Lee who spoke up the loudest. "Yosh! You're on Naruto-kun! And if I don't-" Naruto tuned the rest of his more eccentric friend's words out, having heard them a thousand times before. Instead, he averted his gaze back to where he heard the sound of incoming enemies._

I know this song._ Naruto idly mused to himself as he saw the approaching lines of fresh Oto-nin. He already began whipping through hand seals at the thought, _time to change the beat!_ "Raiton: Raikouhou!"__Naruto only grinned sadistically as he finished the seals, holding his hands in front of him as the electric force began to visibly gather between his fingers. His grin only widened as the blast shot out and mowed down the idiots who had dared to attack his home._

_Later on, when reflecting on the final battle of Konoha, the jinchuuriki would be most amused when the last thing he could remember of that battle was the sound of Kiba's voice yelling from behind him. "Damn it Naruto! You cheating son of a bitch! Those ones don't count!"_

-/-/-/

_Fourteenth day of Shichigatsu,145th year after the rise of the shinobi - Konohagakure No Sato is destroyed in the final battle of the Leaf - Sound Shinobi War._

_Twenty-fourth day of Shichigatsu, 145th year after the rise of the shinobi - The forces of the last surviving member of the Densetsu no Sannin, Orochimaru, lay siege to the capital of the Land of Fire._

_Twenty-fifth day of Shichigatsu, 145th year after the rise of the shinobi - The Lord of Fire Country surrenders to the forces of the Land of Sound. The Otokage Orochimaru lays claim to the Land of Fire and annexes it into the Land of Sound. The Land of Sound gains notoriety as one of the major shinobi nations, replacing the Land of Fire._

-/-/-/

Sensation returned to him as it always did. Quick, unfocused, and unexpected to those around him. Most shinobi grew used to pretending to be unconscious after immediately waking. It was a self-defense mechanism of sorts, since typically if a shinobi was waking up for some reason, that reason tended to be a threat. It hadn't taken long after the war began that Nanashi learned to wake up quickly and without any sort of motion to reveal the fact that he had awoken. Many a foolish Oto-nin had died trying to kill the infamous 'Tri-Elemental Kitsune of Konoha' during the war. An irritating moniker, to be sure. An issue that bugged him constantly when people actually used it. He had always wondered if his old man felt the same way about his own title, but decided that the man must've loved it. After all 'Yellow Flash' simply seemed bad-ass compared to his own long winded nickname.

_Focus idiot. You're conscious, so alive obviously. Air's warm... inside... and covered in a damn soft bed._ He paused for a moment, slowly inhaling the smells around him soft enough so that even if someone was watching they wouldn't notice his being awake. He could make out a few scents that were familiar but was unable to place them at the moment. He did smell that someone was in the room with him and that caused him to tense slightly. Apparently, that was all that was needed. "Finally awake, are you?"

Nanashi's eyes snapped open, tilting his head towards the speaker. "Old man?" He asked, his voice betraying his confusion.

Sarutobi only sighed, muttering to himself something that Nanashi couldn't make before raising his voice. "Yes. Once again my boy, you're very lucky to be alive."

Nanashi blinked at the comment before the neurons in his brain began working properly. He quickly sat up and glanced around the room. _Hospital? We were near Taioh though..._ It was hard to dispute that he was in Konoha now though, as he could see the familiar sights of the village outside his window. He glanced down at himself to see that he had been stripped of his clothing and was wearing a hospital gown. He still wore his cloth mask though and he idly wondered if the Hokage had let him keep it to keep questions down. He looked back to the Hokage and raised an eyebrow. "What the hell happened?"

The older man looked amused by his question for a moment before he spoke up. "Shouldn't that be my line?"

Nanashi only shrugged. "Hey, I was dying outside Taioh last time I checked."

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed at that and for a moment Nanashi felt the flicker of killing intent that was unique to the Professor. Nanashi had never felt it as a child, so it was a humbling experience now that he did. "Yes... I heard from Anko-chan about that mission the council gave you. Rest assured, I will get to the bottom of that particular issue."

"Use it as a chance to start siphoning power from the council. They're a bunch of idiots anyway." Nanashi quipped, leaning back slightly against the bed frame. "That prick Danzo will be more than an annoyance in a few years. Trust me on that one."

Sarutobi simply raised an eyebrow, as if now realizing something. "Ah, so that was the reason you actually agreed to the mission."

"Something like that. I needed to test myself as well. Surviving a battle with the Thunder Empress seemed as good as a test as any." Nanashi saw no reason to lie at this point. He and Anko were apparently safe and back home. _Why bother hiding it anymore? _

The old man chuckled softly. "Only you, my boy, would considering taking on a shinobi on the level of my former students as a test. It seems that you didn't change much as you grew up after all." He then frowned at Nanashi. "I know I don't have to tell you how stupid that was."

"You wouldn't be the first one and you won't be the last you old geezer." He paused for a moment, before losing his smirk and frowning. "It did its job though. I know I'm not strong enough for what's to come, even if I go all out."

The older man frowned at the dread in his younger counterpart's voice. "For what's to come?"

Nanashi nodded. While it was true that he took the mission to give the old man some ammunition for when he confronted the council, he had really desired a test of his abilities. He knew for a fact that he was weaker than he was in the days of Konoha's fall, and even after that. The lost of the Kyuubi was humbling in many respects and he had been training his ass off for the last few months in order to compensate. He needed to find an opponent who was on the level of that damn snake, or at least close to, in order to see how far he still had to go. Enrai Setsuka had been his chance and he had blown it spectacularly. _If not for Anko... _"A harsh wind will start blowing in a little more than a year old man. I've been preparing myself for it."

"Tell me everything Nanashi." The glare the old leveled on him was not lost. "I've let you keep your secrets and have accepted riddles from you. However, if the threat is that large that you would do something so suicidal as a test, then you are telling me."

"Sure. I need to request some time off for a training trip, regardless. But not here. We'll do this in your office when the health fascists let me out of here." He let out a sigh of relief when the Sandaime nodded in agreement.

"Always trouble with you..." The old man mused to himself.

The blond smirked, his masked face hidden to the world. "Of course. Someone has to make the lives of others interesting." He cast a quick glance around again to notice a couch with two figures on it. He looked at them, shock being the most prevalent thing in his mind. He then looked back to Sarutobi and raised an eyebrow in amusement. "What's the story with that picture?" He asked softly, not wanting to disturb the two sleeping figures.

Sarutobi glanced over and couldn't help himself as he chuckled. Sitting on the couch behind him were two sleeping figures. Both were unexpected but what was more unexpected was that they seemed so at ease with each other. Anko was sitting on one side, her head tilted back so that it was resting against the top of the couch in what looked like an uncomfortable position. Her facial expression as she slept seemed to disregard this though as she dozed quietly. A little drool slipped from the side of her open mouth, only making the picture even more comical. Then again, there was so much more to see as his eyes shifted to the other figure. He couldn't help but chuckle at the scene of Uzumaki Naruto sleeping with his body leaned up against Anko's, his head resting against her shoulder as he slept in an identical expression on his face, even matching the small trail of drool. If one didn't know any better, they would expect the two to be siblings from their somewhat intimate position.

Sarutobi only chuckled before turning back to the bedridden man. "Well, Anko-chan has been checking up on you. I think you gave her quite the scare. You are truly lucky, even with your healing factor, that Tsunade was there."

"What? Obaa-chan?"

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow again before shaking his head in amusement. "Yes. She was passing through Taioh with her assistant when she felt the chakra flares that you three sent out during your battle. She came upon Anko frantically trying to save your life. According to what she told Anko afterwards, your lung had been all but shredded and you had lost far too much blood." Seeing the blond's expression, he simply added. "On that note, she apparently is very interested in your healing factor, but not enough to return to Konoha." That last part was said much softer, causing the old man's eyes to turn wistful. He seemed to trail off into his memories for a moment before continuing. "After that, Anko-chan carted you back here. You were still drained for severe chakra depletion, as well as overdosing on soldier pills and have been sleeping for a few days, including the trip back."

"And that?"

The old man smiled the smile of someone who knew something you didn't. "Well, she's been in and out of here checking on you. Like I said my boy, you really scared her." He paused for a moment before saying, "Has the son of Namikaze Minato tamed the savage Mitarashi Anko?"

The blond simply glared at the old man. "Don't even joke about that or she'll kill us both." He paused for a moment before a smirk settled on his face. "I enjoy annoying her. She just goes so ballistic. It's amusing as all hell. It how I imagine you all felt with me when I was growing up."

Sarutobi simply shook his head before looking back to the shinobi's younger self. "Somehow, Naruto found out that his rescuers had returned. He came to see you and he and Anko hit it off, so to speak."

"They tried to kill each other, didn't they?"

"Of course. Over an argument involving dango and ramen, if I recall correctly." Sarutobi looked back at the two before smirking. "A shame we don't have a camera. I could use some blackmail material for calming them both down."

Nanashi couldn't help it, he threw his head back and laughed loudly. It was louder than anything that had been said while the two had been sleeping and it was the thing that caused the trained kunoichi to bolt upwards, still half asleep but ready for anything. The boy that had been leaning against her was all but pushed off the couch with her sudden movement. The boy landed on the floor with a loud thump and a yell of outrage, as if he hadn't just been sleeping. "What the hell?"

The kunoichi looked down at the boy with a glare. "What the hell were you doing sleeping on me, you little brat?"

The boy settled himself into a sitting position before returning the same glare. "So I fell asleep. No reason to throw me off the couch, you crazy bitch!"

A kunai entered the woman's hand as the familiar gleam of insanity, that the other two males in the room had come to associate with her, appeared in her eyes. "What was that, brat? Am I going to have to make you less of a man?"

Nanashi grinned. _Oh this will be fun... at least if she doesn't kill me._ "Well, think of it this way, kid. You'll at least have slept with a woman before any of your classmates." The reaction was immediate from all parties. The younger blonde flushed heavily and looked away, scratching the back of his head nervously. The Hokage merely chuckled although if one looked close enough, you could see tell tale signs of a small blush on his own face. The small drip of blood from his nose denoted that the man's thoughts had taken a very perverse turn with the situation. And Anko...

Nanashi ducked as soon as he spoke, knowing full well what the woman's reaction would be. His body groaned in agony as the kunai actually took a few strands of his hair with them as it slammed into the headboard he had been sitting against. He fought the urge to laugh at her twitching eyebrow. The urge didn't diminish as she suddenly lunged towards him and pinned him to the bed, another kunai at his throat. The eye was twitching angrily and for a moment he actually wondered if he had pushed her too far and she would actually kill him. Of course, if he was going down, it was going to be in flames. "Oooh kinky, Anko-chan. You like being on top?"

He smirked as she actually bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, the kunai twitching near his throat as she tried desperately to not kill him. Finally, she spoke, her voice dancing with rage. "You... you..."

"Me." He then raised an eyebrow before adding, "Don't tell me that my aura of sheer manliness has rendered you speechless?"

"Why, oh why, did I bother saving your irritating ass?" She muttered, slowly bringing the kunai back with her free hand, as if fighting against her own hand.

_She's almost at her limit. One more push... _He only winked at her. "Because it's such a fine ass. Don't you agree, Anko-chan?"

The blow across the jaw had been long overdue but the pain still struck him suddenly as she belted him across the face. He grabbed his face in pain as he felt someone pull Anko off him but he could hear her practically snarling at him from wherever she was pulled to. _Damn it, I think she just broke my fucking jaw. She has one hell of a punch._ He looked up to see the Sandaime holding back Anko, honest worry on his face for his safety as Anko struggled to get free in order to cause more damage to him. His younger self simply looked at the woman in shock, his jaw hanging open. _Heh, maybe "I" will develop a fear of kunoichi much sooner this time around. _He looked back up to Anko and the Sandaime when he heard the old man's voice. "Do you have a death wish?" Though his voice was angry, there was clear amusement on the old man's face.

"Lemme go! I'm going to fucking skin this bastard!"

Nanashi merely chuckled before looking to his younger self. "And that, Uzumaki-kun, is why you should not piss off kunoichi."

The boy looked back to Nanashi with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, no kidding. You must be fucking nuts."

"Trust me kid, no one knows that better than me." He then looked back to Anko and the Sandaime and raised a hand. "Sorry, sorry. I'll make it up to you by buying you some dango and sake when I get out of here. After all. we still have to celebrate our success."

Anko seemed to visibly relax at that, a disturbingly happy grin covering her face. "I'll hold you to that shit stain." Her voice had shifted as well, now unbearably chipper. Nanashi only raised an eyebrow at her ease of being swayed against killing him as the old man released her with a sigh. _She's really being bribed by dango and sake? _"And don't think you're getting out of teaching me those crazy raiton jutsu of yours." _I should've known it wouldn't be that easy._

"... I don't think Konoha would survive you learning those, Anko." Nanashi replied, shaking his head in amusement.

"Cheap ass..." She muttered, her happy expression turning back into a pout.

Nanashi only rolled his eyes before turning back to Naruto. "So what brings you here, kid?"

Naruto looked shocked to be addressed so suddenly and he looked away, as if unsure of what to say. Nanashi watched this with detached interest as the boy seemed to look to the Hokage for support. _Was I really this bad with people? I seem to remember being much more outspoken..._ "Um, old man Hokage told me what you did." He looked back to Nanashi in the bed with a large grin that seemed to come out of nowhere. "Thanks a bunch, Nanashi-san!"

Nanashi felt awkward as he saw the boy's smile. _This is so... surreal and trippy. Does this make me a narcissist of sorts?_ "No problem kid. I didn't do all the work though. Anko over there," he said, nodding his head towards the kunoichi, "helped too."

The smile faded with a look of disbelief. "What? That crazy bitch?"

"Brat!" Anko yelled, glaring at Naruto with utter loathing.

"What? You just attacked an injured man in a hospital! What the hell do you think I'm going to call you?"

"He's got a point there, Anko." Nanashi couldn't help but add, a grin beneath his mask.

"You shut up." She growled at him before setting her sights on Naruto. "And if you call me crazy again I'm going to cut your balls off, you little shit!"

Naruto actually had the gall to stick his tongue out at the fuming woman. The action caused Nanashi to wonder when he stopped being so dumb._Then again, not more than five minutes ago I pushed her over the edge, so maybe I didn't grow up that much at all. _"'Cause that's really helping your case lady!"

"Why you little..." She muttered out, marching towards the boy with anger filled steps.

The boy took this as his sign to leave and dashed out with a loud yell. "Oh shit!"

"Come back here, you little shit!" Anko roared, already in pursuit.

The two remaining in the room merely stared at the door the two had just run out of before exchanged glances. Nanashi couldn't help himself and burst out laughing again and he could hear the soft chuckles of the Sandaime beside him. _How come I have the feeling that introducing those two to each other is going be entertaining as all hell, although it'll mean a shitload more headaches for everyone else._ The Sandaime seemed to agree with his thoughts. "I hope you understand what you've just done."

"Of course. I made your life far more entertaining. You're getting up there in age, old man; you need some entertainment in your life after all. And not just ero-sennin's books."

The old man simply shook his head before walking over to the door and closing it. He made a few hand seals that Nanashi recognized as a silencing seal and then turned back to the blonde. His face was now devoid of the amusement he held before and he pulled up a chair next to the bed. "The room is secure. Now tell me everything. Leave nothing out."

Nanashi only sighed at the expression on his audience's face. He gave a nod before telling the old man his tale. _Perhaps I should've done this a long time ago. Oh well, we still have plenty of time. Here goes nothing..._

-/-/-/

Nanashi waited silently as he watched the Sandaime absorb his full story, including everything he had left out before. The man had risen from his chair halfway through Nanashi's tale, walked to the window and looked out over the village. As Nanashi finished, the man fished out his pipe and lit it, disregarding Konoha General Hospital's strict no-smoking policy. _Well, he is the Hokage after all. It would be amusing to watch someone try to tell him to stop._

The silence between the two lasted for a while. Nanashi passed the time by inspecting his own body, relieved as he felt aches and pains fade as he began moving more and more. Without really thinking about it, he removed the bandages around his chest as well as the smaller bandages they must have placed on him for wounds he had not realized he picked up during his battle with the Thunder Empress. He swung his feet out of bed and stood up, listening as his bones popped with their sudden exertion. He began looking around for his clothing when the old man spoke up, still looking out the window.

"This is a lot to take in, Naruto." His voice was calm but there was an undercurrent in there of one who was not sure what to think of what he had just been told. Nanashi recognized it and couldn't help but feel a tinge of pity for the man he had considered a surrogate grandfather when he was a child. He was being told that in the future he would die by the hands of one he considered his own son, albeit, a wayward one. That a mere child would be one of the catalysts for the destruction of everything he held dear. That his other two 'children' as well as his actual son would be dead due to his favored student's actions.

"I'm sorry." It was all he could think of to say but he knew it was woefully inadequate for the situation.

The Hokage seemed to snap out of his musings at those words and looked back towards Nanashi. "There's no need, my boy. You've done nothing wrong. Well, besides the fact that you thought you could take on these burdens yourself." He lowered his pipe and gave the man a wry smile. "Always overestimating yourself, aren't you?"

Nanashi shrugged, and found himself blushing sheepishly for the first time in many years. "What now, then?"

"For now... I will have to think on this. As I said before, it is a lot to take in."

Nanashi squirmed for a moment before taking a deep breath. When he spoke, his voice was calm but held an edge of ice. "I believe the best way to cut this off would be to eliminate the Uchiha here and now. Orochimaru will probably still come, but it eliminates him gaining those cursed eyes."

The Sandaime narrowed his eyes at his shinobi before speaking. "Unacceptable. He's just a boy, Naruto."

"He's a traitor and too much of a threat to allow to run free. Even if Orochimaru doesn't mark him, he will betray the village eventually. You know this old man, I'm sure you've read that bastard's psych reports."

"He hasn't done anything yet, Naruto. I will not condone the assassination of a child of my village; one who isn't even a shinobi yet." There was a long pause between the two, the tension running high before the Sandaime spoke again. "Have you fallen so far? Would you deny yourself the chance to become friends with him?"

Nanashi only nodded once. "If it keeps a chidori out of my chest, hell yes."

"My answer is final, Nanashi. And don't you dare think of acting on your own here. There would be no way to justify it to the council, you would be declared a nukenin and then what? Then how will you help us against Orochimaru?" The old man let out a sigh before shaking his head lightly at the fuuinjutsu specialist. "Fortunately, we still have time and there are more... immediate concerns."

Nanashi raised an eyebrow as he sat back down on the bed, his rage dissipating. He understood what the Hokage was saying, and decided to let this battle go. _We can always get him later, if necessary._ "What do you mean?"

The Hokage only shook his head at the man sitting before him before walking back to his own chair and sitting down. "A pair of special jounin, one of whom is completely unknown to almost all of Konoha, were able to take down one of Kumo's heroes. They not only survived a suicide mission that was given to shut them up, but succeeded in it. You may not have intended this, my boy, but you have attracted quite a bit of attention to yourself."

It then dawned on Nanashi and he couldn't help himself. "Fucking hell. How bad is it?"

"The council is demanding to know why I've kept such a powerful shinobi secret all this time. Outside of the council and a few others, no one knows the full story, but it won't be long before people start talking. I expect there will be a page on you in the bingo books of other countries soon enough." The Sandaime replied dryly, though he held a bit on pride in his voice as he said that last statement. "Now, I doubt it'll be as impressive as your father's, but you still have some time to catch up." Now the old man wasn't even bothering to hide his amusement.

"Bloody fucking hell." Nanashi growled to himself. He then paled before looking back up to the old man. "Oh crap..."

"What is it?"

"Anko... saw me use Hiraishin no jutsu." Nanashi flinched back at the surprised look on the Sandaime's face and he quickly spoke up to explain himself. "It was the only way to avoid that bitch's jutsu!" He grabbed his head again before muttering out softly, mostly to himself, "Damn, did she see me use Rasengan too? Fuck, this could be bad."

The Hokage narrowed his eyes as he went into deep thought. "As far as I'm aware, she hasn't said anything about that yet. At least in the official report. You deal with that issue and make sure she knows not to say anything. For now, I'll deal with the council, but they may summon you eventually. If that happens, avoiding answering as much as possible other than cryptic words. If they push too hard, send them to me. Claim that you are my retainer, like we agreed before, and that you don't answer to them."

Nanashi nodded. "What about Anko? What should I tell her? She's been snooping around about me, you should know. I don't think she's going to take another dodgy answer from me."

"Use your best judgement. If it comes down to it, say that I have classified it and she'll have to ask me."

"What about my request for leave?" Nanashi asked the question again, making sure that the old man would not forget his training trip.

The Hokage simply nodded. "You'll get it, but I'll have some tasks for you to do while out there. I'll send for you in a few days with the details."

Nanashi nodded as he rose from the bed. "Alright. I think I can handle that." He looked around again before asking, "Now where are my clothes? I need to hunt her down before she kills... me."

-/-/-/

Nanashi simply stared at the figure of Mitarashi Anko as she relaxed, sitting back against a tree trunk with a grin on her face. She was drinking sake, the bottle held in her left hand as she drank, an untouched saucer sitting on the ground next to her. Not exactly an unusual sight, at least for the volatile kunoichi. No, what had him more interested was the rope that she held in her right hand. It trailed upwards, taut with tension, looping over a study branch before leading back downwards. The rope trailed downwards until it looped itself around the feet of one Uzumaki Naruto, who was shouting obscenities at the woman. The boy was suspended in the air upside down by the woman's rope, a foot two or three feet off of the ground. The scene was completed by the hissing snake sitting in position beneath the hanging academy student.

"The hell...?"

Anko looked at Nanashi with a nod and gave a sadistic grin from behind her bottle before turning her attention back to the rope she held in her hand. "Care to take back those insults, brat?"

"Fuck you! You damn crazy- OH SHIT!" The boy had started his insult with his voice full of defiance, but it quickly changed as the woman lowered him closer to the hissing snake. The snake wasn't large, but it seemed dangerous, it's hissing a constant as its eyes seem to regard the boy as an interesting treat from its mistress. Anko's eyes lit up in glee as the boy's defiance fled as he tried to bend upwards to keep away from the serpent. She allowed him to dangle dangerously close to the snake before pulling the rope, bringing him back up into the air. The orange-clad would-be shinobi lost his panicked yelps and simply glared at the kunoichi. "You are my new pranking victim. You've totally taken that honor away from Iruka-sensei."

"You've got balls, kid. Keep it up and I might have to break them for you." She replied with a grin as she lowered him to the snake again. She smiled in sadistic glee as he stopped right above her summoned pet, which actually traced its tongue on the boy's face before the boy once again bolted upwards, trying to pull himself up the rope awkwardly.

As she raised him back up again, his glare became glacial. "I'm so getting even with you one day!"

She only chuckled at that. "Well, it's good that you have goals, brat. Of course, I'd be willing to let you go. You just have to apologize to me for calling me crazy. And you'll have to address me as the beautiful Anko-sama."

Nanashi finally spoke up after watching her tease his younger-self. He wasn't sure how long he watched; it was like watching an angered Akimichi. One couldn't help but watch. "Is that... a banded krait?" The question was voiced hesitantly, as if Nanashi was trying to convince himself that some sort of genjutsu had slipped past his anti-genjutsu seal, rather than believing the woman was using interrogation tactics on an academy student who had annoyed her._Well, me. Kami, this is damn confusing. How the hell am I supposed to think of him, er... me?_

Anko only gave an enthusiastic nod, totally ignoring her prey as she spoke. "Yeah. Say hello to the nameless wonder, Kraitler-chan."

Nanashi's eyebrow actually twitched as the snake seemed to look at him and, _did that thing just fucking nod its head at me?__Kami, I hate snakes..._ "Don't suppose I could convince you to stop traumatizing the civilian child?"

"He's an academy student. He can take it."

"Anko..."

Anko brought the bottle back to her mouth for another drink for a moment before placing her chin on the top of the bottle. She gained a speculative look on her face before grinning like a madwomen. "Drinks are on you tonight, and dango is on you for the rest of the week, nameless wonder."

Nanashi only frowned, ignoring the look of disbelief on his younger-self's face. "No deal. Only three days on the dango. You eat more of that junk than is healthy, and a full week's worth of your standards will force me to go back to a gambling house just to get enough to pay for it. You'll get your jutsu as well."

"Decent counter-offer. I can live with that." She nodded her head before rising to her feet. Unfortunately for the local jinchuuriki, this action caused him to drop towards the ground, and the hissing poisonous snake, again unexpectedly. Naruto actually yelled as he collapsed against the ground hard, completely missing the poof of smoke from where Anko had dispelled her summon. The boy dragged himself away from the special jounin with wide-eyes.

Naruto was about to yell something but Nanashi only rolled his eyes before flashing next to the boy and slapping a hand over Naruto's mouth. "Don't make this worse for yourself, kid." He then looked back to Anko with a shrug. "I'll catch you later tonight then. Do me a favor, and keep those jutsu I used on that mission under your fishnet." Seeing her odd look, he simply added, "It'd cause a shit storm if word got out about those. Talk to the old man if you're actually interested."

She shrugged before agreeing. "Whatever, nameless wonder." She then focused her attention on Naruto and grinned again. The boy actually flinched beside Nanashi, and Nanashi idly wondered if his younger self would have actually tried to get behind him as cover had his legs not been tied. "And I'll be seeing you around, brat." She took another swig from her bottle before grabbing the untouched saucer and walking away, leaving the two blonds behind.

Nanashi let out a sigh of relief as he removed his hand from Naruto's mouth._Fucking hell... How come I know so many crazy people?_ He looked back to, well, himself. "You alright, kid?"

The boy frowned at Nanashi's form of address before nodding. "I'll be fine. I've dealt with crazier people than that psycho bitch."

"I find that hard to believe, but if you say so." Nanashi said with a hint of amusement. He reached down to Naruto's bound ankles and untied the rope, freeing his younger self. The boy said something to him but Nanashi didn't really register it. _This is still so fucked up... So surreal... _"What was that kid?"

Naruto merely frowned up at him. "I said, are you alright? You seemed like you were out of it for a bit there."

Nanashi merely shook his head. "Just some memories, kid." He rose to his feet from his previous crouching position and held out his hand for Naruto. The elder blond pulled the younger one to his feet, watching as Naruto brushed some dirt off of his pants before looking back to Nanashi. Nanashi tried, he really tried, but being examined by himself was just creepy. Thinking of something to distract himself from this examination, he finally asked the kid, "feel like some ramen?"

In retrospect, he really should have known the answer before he even asked. The short dinner was interesting though, to say the least. He simply watched as Naruto seemed to shovel ramen down his throat with more speed than a jounin could understand. The boy almost never stopped talking, save when swallowing his noodles. Nanashi dodged most of the boy's personal questions with ease. He knew the kid wanted to see beneath his mask, but unlike with his shinobi comrades like Genma, Hayate, and the rest, he did not want Naruto to see his face. _I still have those whisker marks, and despite the way he... I acted when I was that age... he would put something together. Maybe one day I'll come up with something. After all, I have to start him on the family techniques..._

All in all, the meal was a surreal experience.

"Old man Hokage said you were really strong, Nanashi-san." The boy said, after finishing off what must have been his tenth bowl of ramen before placing another order. Nanashi watched in bemusement as Naruto placed his newest empty bowl with the others, creating a decent sized stack of dishes.

Nanashi decided to place the fact that he was, in essence, talking to himself, out of his mind and simply treat Naruto as a separate entity for the time being. _It's too fucked up not to._ "You could say that. I'm a special jounin for a reason."

"Special Jounin? What's so different from being a normal jounin?"

Nanashi paused for a moment, trying to think of a way to answer that question. "Let's just say my skill set is rather... unique." Deciding to move the conversation away from himself, Nanashi asked a question of his own. "You're in the academy aren't you? How do you like it there?" Granted, he already knew the answer but he had to try to make conversation somehow.

Naruto frowned at the question. He looked back to his newest bowl of ramen as he answered. "Eh, it's alright. Really boring though."

Nanashi only chuckled. He had finished his own ramen a while ago and found it amusing as hell that his younger self could outlast him when it came to the noodles. "From what I hear, you find ways to make it interesting for yourself." Seeing Naruto look up at him with a look of surprise, Nanashi clarified himself. "Your pranks are infamous, kid."

Naruto's frown changed to a beaming smile at that. "Damn right! I'm amazing after all." Nanashi only chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm, prompting a scowl from Naruto. "Hey! What's so damn funny?"

Nanashi merely shook his head. "Nothing important kid, you just... remind me of myself when I was your age." Seeing the boy's look of disbelief, Nanashi added, "I was the lowest ranked student out of my graduating class. In reality, I only graduated because of a fluke chance and the Hokage's generosity." _Technically true. The old man really should have locked me up after that. I DID steal a kinjutsu scroll after all._

"No way!"

"Why do you have trouble believing that?" Nanashi asked the question with a raised eyebrow at Naruto's expression. It seemed to fade as the boy looked away again.

"I won't ask how you know about that, but I know you're just trying to make me feel better about it." _Ah, shit... Not what I was intending..._

"Kid, don't worry about it. Rank means shit in the real world." He had to recover somehow, not up for dealing with a depressed... him. When he noticed Naruto had brought his attention back to him, he continued. "In reality, those who get the top scores in the academy are usually full of themselves. They end up getting out into the real world, overestimating themselves, and then getting themselves or their squad mates killed." He paused for a moment, remembering numerous young jack-asses who thought they were ready for battle when they graduated the academy during the war. Most of them died on their first assignment. After all, there was no need for D - ranks during wartime. "No one likes to talk about it, but it's the mediocre academy students who tend to last longest." He shrugged once more before rising to his feet, placing enough ryou down for both his and the boy's meals. "Eh, all this talk. Makes me feel like an old man."

He turned to leave and didn't notice Naruto following him. He raised an eyebrow at it but said nothing as the two walked away from the ramen stand. Nanashi merely watched the familiar glares of hatred and indifference that were leveled at the two of them, but there were also a fair number of curious looks, as if trying to figure out why Nanashi wasn't trying to get away from the Kyuubi vessel. He cast a casual glance down towards the boy only to see that detestable mask he had worn in his youth was covering Naruto's face. He looked ahead of him and remained silent for a few minutes, before finally speaking. "Fuck those idiots, kid. Don't ever let those idiots get the best of you."

Naruto looked up at him with a look of shock. "What?"

"Don't play dumb kid. I know that you aren't as stupid as you pretend to be, and I know that neither of us is blind. Don't ever let those bastards get to you." He paused for a minute before smiling beneath his mask. _Ah, what the hell? I've got a few hours before I should hunt down crazy woman._ "Tell ya what. I'll show you a ninja trick that will be useful for you to learn, if you're interested. Master it fast enough and I'll even teach you a good jutsu or two."

The boy's face lit up in a beaming smile. "Hell yeah! Let's go! Let's go!"

Nanashi only smirked, shaking his head slightly as he altered their path towards the hot springs. "Sure, you're enthusiastic now. I wonder how long that will last..." He casually commented, hoping to get a rise out of the boy. _Heh, if only Ero-sennin could see me now. I suppose it couldn't hurt to start him off a little earlier than expected. _

-/-/-/

Nanashi woke up the next with a pounding headache that matched the tempo of the knocks on his apartment door. He rolled out of bed, noting that he smelled like alcohol, and walked over. He ripped open the door and glared at the chuunin who had waiting outside. "This better be good or I'm going to make you wish you'd never been born." His words were laced with a small amount, at least for him, of killing intent that sent the man standing there into a shiver.

"Nanashi-san! I... um, well... the council wants to see you in an hour... Sir!" The man stammered out uncomfortably, wishing he had called in sick that day. He had no idea who this Nanashi character was, but if the rumors he had heard this morning were true, then he wasn't someone to piss off.

Nanashi dropped his killing intent and nodded. "Fine." Noticing the man's sigh of relief, he apologized. "Sorry 'bout that. I was out drinking last night and... well, you know how it goes." The man gave Nanashi a hesitant grin and began walking away easily. Nanashi only sighed as he closed the door and began heading for the shower. _Faster than I expected. I've only been awake for about a day. We really must have interested them..._

A shower and short breakfast later, Nanashi found himself sitting outside one of the larger meeting rooms in the Hokage's tower. He hadn't ever been called to the council in his own timeline, but had waited outside council meetings on more than one occasion. Of course, this happened less and less as the war dragged on, eventually all power was transferred to Tsunade as the Godaime Hokage. He imagined that if Konoha hadn't fallen to Sound during the war, Tsunade would've done away with the council entirely. After all, most of them were squabbling idiots or clan heads who simply wanted to feel important.

He felt someone fall into the seat next to him and he looked over. He raised an eyebrow in amusement as Anko finished off a few sticks of dango, placing the remains in the small box she had with her. She nodded her head at him but said nothing as she reached for another stick. She looked like she had just rolled out of bed and had been hit by a spinning Akimichi, sure signs of a true hangover. He shrugged before snatching a stick from her box, prompting a growl from the kunoichi, before saying, "You look like hell." He shot her a grin beneath his mask and asked a question that was sure to get an amusing reaction from the volatile kunoichi. "Drink a little too much last night?"

"Fuck off shithead. And don't you dare take another! You still owe me some."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Nanashi commented idly, not really paying attention to the woman. He quickly scarfed down the sweet treats and tossed the stick to a garbage can on the far side of the room. "So, I take it you're here to see the old fools as well?"

She finished the dumpling she had been eating and nodded her head. "Yeah. One of Hokage-sama's errand boys woke me up."

He nodded in understanding. "Just remember what I requested last night, Anko-chan." He paused for a moment, before adding, "actually, I think today will be quite entertaining, if you follow my lead that is."

She shrugged as she finished off the last of her dango, tossing the entire box into the same trash can that Nanashi had targeted earlier. She looked back as if to say something but was cut off as the door to the meeting room opened. An ANBU stepped outside and spoke to the two special jounin. "They're ready for you." The two stood and walked inside, Anko hissing softly into the ANBU's ear as they passed him, prompting a shiver from the man which caused both special jounin to smile. Anko, in satisfaction, and Nanashi, in amusement.

As Nanashi looked over the council, he recognized many of the shinobi there. While he may not have known Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji's parents that well, he had fought alongside them during the war. Sitting in the upper levels, that old bastard Danzo was sitting immersed in shadows, as if trying to hide the fact that he was there. Hyuuga Hiashi merely stared at the two, his expression betraying nothing, not that Nanashi expected it to. Koharu and Homura, as well as numerous others that Nanashi didn't recognize, comprised the front row of the council.

There was a long period of silence before Homura stood up from his seat to speak. "Special Jounin Mitarashi Anko. Special Jounin, code-name 'Nanashi'. This is an inquiry into mission BA-127/X, the hunting of Enrai Setsuka, the Thunder Empress. You will submit to our questions now."

Nanashi merely looked at the man with a bored expression on what little of his face that could be seen. Anko had a murderous glare leveled at the old fart, obviously remembering when he had given the two of them the mission. "Ask away, elder Mitokado."

If Nanashi's lack of the proper honorific bothered anyone, no one showed it. "Please describe the mission in detail, Nanashi-san." Homura stated his request plainly, no emotion felt in the words. Nanashi idly wondered what the man's game was.

"Am I to understand that you did not read the mission report?" Nanashi drawled casually, hoping to prompt some sort of reaction from the council members. A few looked confused at his question, while others scowled, obviously irritated that someone was daring to question them.

"Just tell us what happened." A new voice this time, and Nanashi found his eyes traveling to Koharu. She didn't look as annoyed as her fellow council members. If anything, she looked amused by his defiance.

Anko spoke for the first time, her voice brash and somehow dripping in annoyance. "Nothing special. We found her, then we killed her. Shit stain here," she motioned her head towards Nanashi, "almost got himself whacked. End of story."

"Mind your words, Mitarashi. Do not forget where you are." One of the men that Nanashi didn't recognize growled out. Nanashi only smirked and nodded to Anko. _This should be fun..._

"Nice to see that you don't just insult me behind my back, Anko." He commented casually, enjoying the annoyed looks of the men and woman who were waiting for answers. Anko merely shot him a gleeful smile and he chuckled. _Ah, so she's game for this as well. Old man Hokage must've given her the same spiel as me. This should be fun._

"Just answer the question." Homura ordered again, his tone betraying his impatience.

Nanashi merely smirked beneath his mask. "Although her choice of words was... unique, Anko is correct. There really is nothing more to say. Nor will I speak more about it."

The voice of Danzo radiated down from his spot in the shadows, a gravelly tone that still grated on Nanashi's nerves. "And that report is spotty at best. I find it hard to believe that two B ranked shinobi were able to subdue and terminate an S class shinobi."

"In all due respect, elder Danzo, I don't give a shit what you believe. The only things missing from the report are our exact skills and abilities. I feel no need to enlighten my potential enemies who sent me on a suicide mission of what I am capable of." Nanashi didn't bother to filter his words. He had sensed someone else listening in on the meeting and a grin formed beneath his mask. _Interesting, how long until he shows himself, I wonder..._ "You said it yourself, you sent two B ranked shinobi after someone on the level of the Densetsu no Sannin. When we were given the mission, we requested backup and were flat up refused, despite the fact that there were reserves available for such a mission." At that statement, members of the council who also served as ninja began whispering amongst themselves. Nanashi exchanged glances with Anko and she nodded back in understanding. _Ah, apparently not all of them knew... Curiouser and curiouser..._

"You will watch your words during this inquiry, Nanashi." Homura spoke up again, his teeth grinding. Apparently the old man wasn't used to someone not following orders. He took a deep breath before continuing. "We'll come back to the mission later then. Nanashi, it has come to our attention that you are more than what your file states. We wish for you to fill in these discrepancies for us."

"I refuse. Do your own damn research."

Homura was about to speak up again when the tell tale signs of a teleportation jutsu filled the space between Nanashi, Anko and the council. Nanashi merely hummed in amusement, knowing full well who it was, having already sensed him. When spinning smoke and leaves dissipated, the form of the Sandaime Hokage was revealed, all but glaring at the council in a fury that Nanashi had never seen on the man's face before. Nanashi idly wondered how much of it was an act as the Hokage all but yelled at his advisors. "What is the meaning of this?" It was if the voice of a thunder kami had manifested itself in the elder shinobi's throat. Members of the council visibly paled at seeing the outrage on the man's face and more than a few looked much more nervous than they had previously. "Homura! Explain yourself!"

Sarutobi's former teammate looked remarkably calm, despite the rage that seemed concentrated on him from his Hokage. Without any hesitation, he calmly answered. "Hokage-sama. We are conducting a review of a recently completed mission. Certain information seems to be missing, so we are investigating into the matter."

Nanashi and Anko exchanged glances at this but said nothing. _I wonder how the old man is going to handle this? He knows that the guy is full of shit..._ The Sandaime didn't disappoint Nanashi as the glare he leveled on his former teammate dropped to near glacial levels. "I was unaware of anything that could require investigation from the mission debriefing." His eyes scanned the remainder of the council, "perhaps you could enlighten me." It was not stated as a question and even the Hokage's former teammates seemed uncomfortable at the man's intensity.

"Of course..." Homura looked as if he honestly didn't know where to begin. "We're trying to discover exactly how shinobi of Nanashi and Mitarashi's caliber were able to defeat Enrai Setsuka, one of the legendary heroes of Kumo. They are both marked in their respective files as B - ranked shinobi, while the Thunder Empress was easily high A, approaching S rank. To be blunt, there is no way for shinobi of their rank to emerge victorious from such an enemy, so there must be something missing from the report."

"And who assigned such a mission to shinobi of their rank'?" Sarutobi's question was voiced mockingly, though there was a definite edge in his voice that was sharp enough to draw blood. "I have read that report, and I see absolutely nothing wrong with it."

A voice from the back spoke up, gravelly and unpleasant. "Despite the fact that they apparently had contact with Tsunade?" Nanashi's eyes trailed upwards and to the back, resting once again on Danzo. _So he somehow knows about that... He wants to show the old man that he knows more than what that report says but he chose the wrong day to try and show off, with the mood the old man is in. _"I wonder, Sarutobi, are you are slipping in your old age?"

"Their contact with Tsunade had nothing to do with the mission, nor did Tsunade assist them during their mission. Thus, her presence was completely irrelevant for the debriefing." Danzo didn't seem to react as the Hokage's glare locked on him. "Further more, Danzo, try implying that I am not fit for my position again and I will show you exactly how well I can still fight."

A tense silence covered the room. Nanashi found it all entirely too amusing. _They came here to grill me and in the course of ten minutes have risen to trying to question the leadership qualities of the Hokage. Not a smart move, especially when there are shinobi loyal to him in the room. _Anko's voice suddenly broke the silence, the woman staring at Danzo with a sadistic grin. "Hokage-sama, should I...?" She trailed off, licking her lips that sent a shiver down several of the council members' spines. Her reputation was well known after all.

Nanashi decided to play it up a bit too. "I'm more than willing to start slitting throats if you want, old man." He said it so casually that many of the council looked at him in open distress, even the shinobi clan heads on the council.

The Hokage looked at Anko and Nanashi with an amused grin that went unseen by the council. "That won't be necessary, I assure you." He then turned his glare back to the council as a whole, ignoring Danzo for now. "Provided, I receive a good answer for why you two are being harassed by this council."

The woman sitting next to Homura spoke next. Sarutobi leveled his glare solely on the female teammate he once served alongside under the reign of his predecessor. "Hokage-sama, please be reasonable. We can't have shinobi running around whose level of skill is..."

"Silence." The Sandaime's words were ice cold and cut the old woman off before she could continue with her half-assed explanation. "I don't care if you don't know his abilities." His straightforward words stunned the group into silence but the elder Hokage wasn't even close to being done yet. "Furthermore, even if this was truly an issue, there is no way I would divulge his strength to this council. Special Jounin Nanashi is a member of my special forces, and that has been marked in his file. He reports to me, and only to me. If I have not listed his abilities in that file, there is a reason for it, and one that is none of your concern, honored council." He paused for a moment before continuing again, one hand opening towards Anko. "As such, due to her exemplary performance on this foolish mission that should have never existed, I am inducting Special Jounin Mitarashi Anko in this group. As of 1600 hours tomorrow, she will answer to me, and only to me. The council's idiocy on this matter has forced my hand."

Anko's look of disbelief was priceless and Nanashi chuckled softly to himself. _In reality, it will change nothing, at least while the old man is alive. Though, it could prove interesting in the future. _Nanashi nudged her with his elbow with a smirk beneath his mask. "Welcome to the club, snake bitch." He whispered the words only loud enough for her to hear him.

He only continued to grin at her confused look. She would have responded but their attention was once again brought back to the Hokage as he continued to speak. "Don't ever forget that none of you are Hokage! You are advisors to me, nothing more! You do not order my shinobi! Don't ever forget that, because if you ever try something like this again then I will crush you." The old man wasn't yelling, but the edge in his voice was practically daring someone to try and speak back. "I have already begun an investigation into this 'mission'," the man continued, his sarcasm on the word obvious, "and am searching for how it came to be. Rest assured, I know that not all the members of the council were part of this pathetic attempt to eliminate two of Konoha's finest shinobi out of pettiness. However, the ones who played a part in this have their rights on this council immediately revoked. If I find that their betrayal is truly deep, I may even send them to Ibiki."

The Hokage then took a step back, looking over the shocked and deeply nervous expressions that were painting on the faces of the council members. He then let out a little smile, one that looked so out of place on the man who had been raging only moments ago. "I trust that this meeting is adjourned. Nanashi, Anko, you are dismissed." The two exchanged glances before shrugging in eerie unison before walking away.

As the two left the tower, Anko began laughing. Nanashi softly chuckled himself, the scene in the council room finally catching up to him. "I was wondering how he was going to handle those idiots."

Anko stopped laughing and raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Did you really think the council would get away with purposefully trying to kill us? It wouldn't surprise me if the old coot kicks half of those bastards off the council."

She appeared thoughtful for a moment before shrugging. "Meh, whatever."

Nanashi only shook his head in minor amusement as something came to mind. "Find me sometime tomorrow and I'll have a scroll for those jutsu you've been asking about. I'm going to be leaving on a training trip as soon as the old man okays it. If you want your jutsu, I'll have to put them on a scroll for ya."

She raised an eyebrow at that before stepping closer to him. She cooed softly, a seductive smile on her face as she gently ran her hand down his chest. "Awww, and I was hoping for some... personal... attention, Nanashi-kun."

Nanashi blinked at the woman's odd behavior before letting out a long-suffering sigh. "I'm sure." She smirked as she leaned in closer to him. Warning bells in Nanashi's mind were going off but he fought the urge to react as she drew closer. His body did tense as her head rose towards him and couldn't help but shiver slightly as her hot breath blew on his ear. _She has way too much fun doing this._ The thought was almost halted as she slid her tongue along his ear lightly, causing him to shiver once again and step away from her with an irritated glare. _I just wish she wasn't so damn good at it. _"Please don't do that."

She backed off but held a shit-eating grin on her face as she began cackling maniacally, causing a few heads to turn in her direction nervously. Nanashi felt his eyebrow twitching in annoyance as she continued laughing for several minutes. When she finally calmed down, she was smirking. "Oh, so innocent." Her voice was laden with amused sarcasm. "I'll have you know that a great number of men in this village wished I teased them like that."

He only rolled his eyes. "And, although I haven't known you that long, I probably know you better than them." He then gave her a smirk of his own beneath his mask. "Better be careful, snake bitch, or one day I'll end up tying you down and having my way with you."

She only scoffed at his barb. "You? Yeah right. You don't got the balls, nameless wonder."

He shrugged. "A shame we won't have time to test that theory, since I'll probably be leaving the village for a while in a few days." He watched as her eyebrow raised, the question plain on her face. "Eh, training trip. Figured after almost being killed by that woman meant it was time I was due for one."

"Training trip? After THAT mission? Planning on fighting a few more S-rankers sometime soon?"

He shrugged. "Perhaps. There are some things I need to do, and knowing the old man, he's going to load me up with a few long term missions as well."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Does this have to do with why you actually attempted that mission in the first place?" He tried not to flinch from her tone but apparently failed as she continued. "Do you think I'm completely retarded? We could've easily just sat it out until the old man came back and no one would've looked at us differently. And the council would not have been able to do a thing. You had a reason for wanting to take that suicide run, didn't you?"

He looked up at the woman in surprise as she connected the dots. "In a way. Let's just say I'm privy for some information that will become relevant in the future. Just need to get ready for the role I will play, so to speak."

She shrugged. "Whatever. Just don't get yourself killed shitstain. I'd be annoyed as hell if the one person in Konoha who could fight a decent verbal battle with me got himself killed."

He deadpanned, "your overwhelming affection is touching, snake bitch." He then turned away, raising a hand as he began walking away. "Come find me when I owe you more dango. I've got things to do." He heard her say something back to him but wasn't really paying attention. _If the old man is lucky, he'll be able to get rid of most of those idiots. I doubt Danzo was dumb enough to be directly linked to it, but this will shake that bastard up a little._ His thoughts began trailing away from the confrontation to the council, a smirk coming to his face as he diverted towards the hot springs. _I wonder if he's still there... What am I thinking? Of course he'll be. I know him well enough._

-/-/-/

The next few days passed in a blur to Nanashi. That may have been the result of all the celebratory drinking he had done, alongside his fellow survivor, and their associates. Genma and Hayate had openly told him he was full of shit but as he and Anko told, the slightly sanitized version, of what happened that night, they eventually changed their tune from disbelief to open amazement. Yugao, Kurenai, and Anko all seemed to enjoy when Nanashi openly joked about a woman kicking his ass, and it forced him to idly wonder if there was some form of kunoichi-pride thing at work, despite the fact that the same woman almost killed Anko as well.

They had drifted from topic to topic during those nights, but there was one that had surprised Nanashi more than he let off. It was Hayate who had voiced it, between his coughs. "So, tell me Nanashi. Why'd you show that kid the water walking exercise?" Nanashi had simply stared at him in confusion before the man continued after another cough. "The Uzumaki kid. My doctor told me I should spend some time in the hot springs, as a sort of therapy, I suppose. When I was there yesterday, I saw the kid trying to perform the walk walking exercise. When I finally asked, he said that you showed it to him, and something about a bet and jutsu."

Nanashi only shook his head. "Something like that, yes."

The answer didn't clear anything up for the ever-sick shinobi, and his senbon-chewing buddy continued the original query. "So, why?"

"Why not?"

There was a long period of silence between the gathered shinobi. The rest realized, after hearing the story about how Anko and Nanashi had saved the boy, that this was some sort of test. Whatever the connection between the blond-haired fuuinjutsu master and the vessel of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, it was significant enough to warrant such a test. Finally, it was Anko who ventured a guess. "'Cause he's an obnoxious little punk?"

Nanashi only chuckled at her reaction before commenting, "you don't like him 'cause he tells the truth about you."

"Fuck you."

Seeing the confused looks from their associates, Nanashi then went on to... enlighten the group about Naruto's 'pet name' for Anko. Needless to say, everyone except the serpentine kunoichi found the story amusing. "The kid... interests me. I'm simply curious." Nanashi trailed off, a new idea forming in his head. _A pity I didn't think of this sooner. I could've pulled him from the academy and started preparing him for what's to come...__It's too late now. I need to stick to my original plan for now..._ "Maybe when I come back he will have turned into an interesting shinobi. Hell, maybe see if I can snag the brat into becoming my apprentice."

The simple statement stunned the gathered shinobi into complete silence. Apprenticeship to a genin was rare in and of itself. Apprenticing an academy student, especially the local jinchuuriki, was unheard of. Typically, when genin were formed into cells, it was done so to foster teamwork among the younger shinobi, so that they would be able to integrate themselves into fresh teams whenever a mission called for it. Certain successful teams, like the original Ino-Shika-Cho trio, went on to continue doing missions together as it was far more effective to keep it that way. In this way, one's genin cell was paramount to one's development as a shinobi during their younger years. Genin were taught mostly chakra control techniques, survival and tracking skills, mission etiquette as well as fine-tuning their taijutsu. Elemental chakra and its usage in ninjutsu were often left for the genin to develop themselves as they became Chuunin. Of course, this differed from cell to cell, but that was the general path that jounin sensei led their students on.

Apprenticeship, on the other hand, was much different. Instead of a jounin being assigned a group of students as the rosters for potential jounin-sensei rotated, one had to go through significant paperwork to even be allowed to voice a request to take on an apprentice straight out of the academy. Even then, the final okay had to come from the Hokage himself, making it very time-consuming and tedious process. Since the majority of jounin didn't really want to teach, few bothered with all the red tape. Even those who did wish to pass on their skills to the next generation rarely took apprentices, instead simply waiting until it was their turn in the rotating roster. Once a genin became an apprentice to a shinobi, it was entirely up to that shinobi how that genin would be trained and what skills that genin would develop. While normally, a genin might not delve into elemental chakra until he or she became a Chunnin, a genin apprentice could be started off on that topic itself. The focused training tended to be far more specialized as well as more intense than a normal genin's. In fact, many shinobi who tended to take on apprentices ended up accidentally killing their own students from the intensified training, or the genin quitting as they were pushed down the shinobi path far faster than a normal genin.

Kurenai raised an eyebrow at the claim before stating simply, "I don't understand."

Nanashi leaned back and looked at her with a hint of amusement, like a teacher trying to get an easy topic off his chest. "Okay, a little test for you then, Miss future-jounin." He and the others chuckled slightly as she dipped her head at his acknowledgment, before continuing. "Take what you know of me, and of the kid, and give me a reason why you think I'd be interested in doing so."

The others remained silent, Genma and Anko getting up to go grab some more drinks for the table. They understood that this was a test of sorts, if not just for Kurenai under the guise of 'seeing underneath the underneath', but for all present to reveal what they actually knew about the enigmatic fuuinjutsu specialist. It was several minutes later that the crimson-eyed illusionist ventured a guess. "Does it have to do with... well, 'it'?"

Nanashi raised an eyebrow at the woman in response. While her guess was a valid one, as he had no doubt that Anko had informed the woman of his abilities and his knowledge of how exactly the Yondaime's final technique worked. Surprisingly, she didn't seem to feel any negative feelings towards the boy himself. _Then again, Kurenai-sensei always did have a level head on her shoulders. I imagine she was one of the ones who simply thought I was an idiot, rather than a demon. Can't blame her though; before 'that' Chunnin exam, I WAS an idiot._ "Partially. I won't deny that at some point I will need to sit down with the kid and explain how that seal works, considering not even old man Hokage knows its full mechanics. A tricky proposition, considering the Hokage's law and all."

"Then...?"

He swirled his drink for a moment before meeting the eyes of his comrades. "When you think about it, it's an obvious conclusion. To put it simply, the boy is potential incarnate. Who wouldn't want a student with potential like that, his faults aside?" He quickly lowered his mask and took a sip of his drink, still mildly amused by the not-so-discreet looks that Kurenai and Yugao gave his face. _I bet they're wondering what Kakashi looks like under his mask..._ He paused for a moment before looking back at Hayate, a questioning look on his face as he replaced his mask. "By the way, how was he doing with it?"

Hayate covered his mouth as he coughed a little harder than normal, Yugao rubbing her hand against the man's back in a soothing action. When he finally calmed down, he spoke, "well... from what I saw he had the basic premise down. Really impressive for a few days work, especially considering he's not even a genin yet." He then smiled at Nanashi, as if amused, before continuing, "I told him that you probably wouldn't accept that as being mastered until he could run laps on the water or do something besides simply stand in place."

Nanashi chuckled slightly. "Well, looks like he made it before I left after all." Nanashi had already received his go-ahead for his trip and was planning to leave in the morning. It was really the reason why the group had gotten together tonight after all. "Good thing I prepared a scroll for him."

"So what jutsu are you going to give him?" Yugao asked politely, mildly interested now.

"Heh, just teach him that crazy lightning blast thing that you owe me." Anko's voice was suddenly right by his ear and he shivered at the though of his younger self with actually destructive techniques like the Thunder Dragon. _Kage bunshin is one thing, as it's only just heavy chakra usage. But something near that level that actually 'causes' damage? Kid would end up blowing himself up before he mastered it._

He only looked back to Anko with a shake of his head. "Speaking of..." he said, trailing off as he reached into his coat for something. He finally found it and pulled it out, holding it out for the woman. "One A - rank Raiton technique, one A - rank Suiton technique, and one B - rank Raiton technique; as promised. Do me a favor and burn that scroll once you learn them, and try to not kill anyone when you're trying to learn them."

Anko's eyes widened, despite her already beginning to show signs of inebriation. Her hand shot out like a snake striking at its prey, snatching the scroll away with a sound from her voice that couldn't only be described as a happy hiss. She actually 'snuggled' against the rolled up and bound scroll, causing a few eyebrows to raise. She noticed the odd stares and narrowed her eyes, pulling the scroll away with a small blush on her cheeks. "What?" She snapped irritably, already pocketing the scroll.

"How come I just had the feeling of complete and utter doom wash over me?" Genma's question may have been serious, but no one was able to answer before Anko's fist impacted against his head, sending the man back a few feet. Hence, what may have been an honest question simply became an amusing spectacle as Anko continued to stomp the hell out of Genma.

Nanashi only chuckled before looking to Kurenai with amusement in his eyes. "And here I thought women liked things like jewelry and chocolates." She hit him on the shoulder with a glare before they both turned their eyes back to the scene where a laughing Yugao was trying to pull an irritated Anko away from Genma. Nanashi only continued to laugh, idly wondering, _at least my last night in town is an interesting one..._

-/-/-/

Nanashi was surprised when he was met the next morning, at Konoha's West gate, by his friends. Kurenai and Yugao were talking to each other, and Hayate and Genma were standing off to the side. While Genma looked to be nursing a massive hangover, Yugao, Kurenai, and Hayate looked perfectly fine. _Well, at least as fine as the living sickness ever seems,_ he thought in amusement as he looked over Hayate. "You guys didn't need to see me off."

Genma merely shrugged. He took the senbon out of his mouth and began twirling it between his fingers without looking away from Nanashi. "Eh, nothing better to do. Hayate and I had the choice between this and paperwork duty, and you're slightly better than having to read over the academy's requests for additional cash."

Hayate mere smirked at his partner in crime's barb and Nanashi only rolled his eyes in response. "Your camaraderie is awe-inspiring, you degenerate man-slut." The two women present chuckled and Nanashi turned his eyes on them. "Good luck on your jounin exam, Yuuhi-san. I expect good things, of course."

Kurenai merely smiled back at him, "of course." She then frowned, looking around. "I can't believe Anko..."

"Heh, just let her sleep it off. She'll have one hell of a headache when she finally wakes up." Nanashi let his prediction slip easily, letting a grin cover his face beneath his mask. _A night drinking with that woman is always entertaining._ "Though, you may want to tell her to tone it down a bit. While I'm sure most of us found her dancing and singing on the bar amusing, I'm sure she would die of embarrassment if she knew."

Kurenai merely looked at him as if he had grown another head. "This is Anko." Her voice was all that was needed to understand her opinion on the matter.

"Point taken." He looked around once more before saying, "well, I'll be going now. See ya, whenever."

Nanashi turned to leave when Hayate spoke up, his voice raspy as usual. "Hold up."

Nanashi looked over his shoulder at the sickly man and raised his arm in an instinctual movement to catch the spinning object. When he realized what it was he was holding, he simply looked at the kenjutsu master with a raised eyebrow. "What's this?" He asked rather dumbly, his eyes moving back to the sheathed katana. It didn't look like anything special, but the symbol of the Gekkou clan, a crescent moon, was carved into the sheath as well as the blade's grip.

Hayate merely smiled. "I've seen the way you train, Nanashi. Let's just say I'm curious about what you could come up with for the world of kenjutsu on this trip of yours. Prove to me that you're worthy of a blade and maybe I'll lend you a better one when you come back." The man's voice was raspy, but even without the grin on the man's face it was clear that this was a challenge to the time-traveling shinobi.

Nanashi simply grinned, spinning the sheathed blade until it rested against his shoulder. He pulled down his mask and grinned at the sickly man. "Damn right you will. Better not croak before I get back, you walking bag of disease, otherwise you'll miss out." The others laughed at Nanashi's taunt and he joined them shortly after. It didn't last long though, as Nanashi felt a familiar presence approaching and reacted in his usual manner. He tossed the sheathed blade back towards Hayate and hopped a few feet backwards in order to avoid the trio of kunai that planted themselves in the spot where he had been standing. Nanashi let off a smirk, his hands already twisting themselves into his most common seals. _Figures she couldn't just say 'so long' like a sane person._ "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Three Nanashi clones surrounded him and each reacted to the incoming threat in different ways, adding up to a single conclusion.

Moments later, Nanashi and the others were watching as three clones held down one livid Mitarashi Anko. One clone restraining her legs, and one for each of her arms. She all but hissed in irritation as the real Nanashi bent forward over her, hands behind his head as he all but radiated smugness. "Can't you announce yourself with a 'hello' like a normal person?"

The woman hissed before dissolving into mud, leaving the blond dumbstruck before he twisted in place, avoiding the onrush of snakes from the woman's Sen'eijashu technique. A few snakes split off from the rest, wrapping themselves around the clones' throats and snapping their necks, causing them to poof into nothingness from the unexpected attack. The majority of the snakes tried to close in on him again but he was replaced by a block of wood that they crushed into splinters before retreating back to the sleeve of their mistress' coat. She slowly turned her head to see the group staring at her, along with Nanashi who was looking at her with a hint of amusement. "Tch, it's a tie this time, nameless wonder."

"Of course, Anko-chan." Nanashi deadpanned, trying to force himself to not laugh at the childish pout that was on her face as his having escaped her clutches. "Maybe if you're a good girl, one day I'll let you win." He grabbed his blade back from Hayate as he continued to taunt the woman, his face curling into a grin beneath his mask.

She lost the childish pout and simply snarled at him, already settling herself into a fighting stance. "Care to place your money where your mouth is, shithead?"

"Oh, and what do I win out of it, Anko-chan?"

"The right to keep your nuts." She hissed, glaring at him.

She stiffened when she felt the edge of a kunai against her throat, another Nanashi standing behind her. "Again, this fascination of yours with my testicles. Do you have a collection of head boards with your other victims or something in your apartment?" The Nanashi behind her shook his head after asking that. "Wait, don't answer that. I'd rather not know."

Her eye twitched a few times before she sighed. "Alright, you win. Tricky clone using bastard..." The last part was mumbled under her breath as the water clone holding her dispersed. She let out a yawn before speaking again, her hyper and irritated tone gone. "See ya later and don't get yourself killed, you pain in the ass."

"Where do you get off calling someone else, a pain in the ass?" Genma asked sarcastically, the group finally being brought into Nanashi and Anko's usual quarrel. They all seemed highly amused by this exchange, despite having seen it so many times before.

The man was forced to duck as a trio of kunai were sent flying in his direction. "Watch it, toothpick." Anko's voice growled out, a small blush evident on her cheeks. Nanashi merely chuckled before fishing out a scroll from his coat. He tossed it to the woman who caught it with a confused expression. "Another scroll? You already gave me..."

"It's not for you, woman. Remember how we talked about me teaching the kid a few tricks? Give that to him when he masters the exercise I gave him, and no, you won't be able to open it." He added that last part as he saw the speculative gleam in her eyes at the prospect of even more jutsu from the enigma's library.

"Tch, whatever." Her tone indicated annoyance but Nanashi could see it in her eyes that she would do as he requested. There was something else in her gaze that he couldn't make out, despite it being ruthlessly familiar.

He shrugged before giving the group a final glance over. "This is it folks, see ya." Suddenly feeling the urge for a dramatic exit, he formed a hand seal and vanished in a swirl of leaves.

There was an odd silence before Yugao scoffed. "Typical man. Had to show off a bit because he was embarrassed that someone had actually seen him off."

The others shrugged but Anko merely pouted again. Shiranui Genma couldn't help but shiver at that expression and the familiar sense of doom that usually followed with it. "Aw, now that the shit stain is gone, who's going to be my punching bag?" She started off sounding innocent, but her smirk turned vicious as she ended her statement, her eyes gleaming over the others nearby.

Genma wondered why everyone suddenly took a step back and was scared to see that everyone gathered was a few feet away from him now. Not only that, they were pointing at him with nervous smiles on their faces, and it dawned on him that they were simply answering the quasi-psychotic kunoichi's question. As he saw the sadistic glow in the serpentine kunoichi's eyes, he couldn't help but whimper in fear.

_Damn it Nanashi! I'm going to get you for this!_

* * *

Shichigatsu – Japanese word for July (or so I'm told). 

Banded Krait - A poisonous snake that lives in the Indo-Chinese subregion. For more information, consult 'Banded Krait' page on wikipedia. (A glorious website for odd information.)

I have to say that I was quite amused at how many people thought I killed Nanashi off at the end of the last chapter, if the reviews I was getting were any indication. It makes me glad that I didn't throw the ending line that I originally planned to, as it would sound EVEN MORE like he had died. It wasn't until I finished the chapter that I realized I could have taken the story in several completely different directions at that point (a few which people messaged me with to see if I was going to go that route that were quite promising, and if I had not already planned this story out, more or less, I would have been tempted to try.)

Short Appendium on the Raikouhou Technique from the last chapter as well as this one. I mentioned that Nanashi knows this technique, and obviously, during the war, he used it at least once. However, without the Kyuubi-sized reserves, he can no longer perform the technique. In all likelihood, we will not see this technique again, as it really is not useful for conventional shinobi confrontations. If you think he's saving it for a fight with Orochimaru, rest assured. What I have planned for that eventual fight will be more than enough.

Now, the plan originally was going to do one more little thing(See next paragraph) before jumping into the beginning of the main storyline. Nanashi was going to return from his trip shortly after Team 7 returns from the Wave mission. (It's never _really_ stated how much time is between the Wave mission and the exams, or for that matter, how much time after graduation before they go to Wave. No, Nanashi will not be taking on a team. He will most likely become an oddity that drops by the Konoha 12 and occasionally imparts advice to the genin. It'll be after his return that we'll start seeing the after-effects of his 'existence' in past-Konoha, especially in regards to his past self.

I was thinking of doing one more 'filler' chapter before going on. It would mostly consist of another flashback, as well as a few stories of what's going on while Nanashi is traveling, whether those be focused on Nanashi, Anko, Naruto, etc. In the end, they, like the flashback in this chapter, do not really add anything to the main plot. They **should** be short, as there will probably be a few for each of the characters (a few paragraphs to a few pages at most). I apologize if this bothers people, but doing this the way I plan to will make things easier on me.

One or two people have been asking about Kyuubi as well. Nanashi will not ever come into contact with Kyuubi ever again. Kyuubi is in his younger self. He will not suddenly regain access to unlimited reserves. For intents and purposes, to Nanashi, Kyuubi is dead. Naruto, on the other hand...

Once again, thanks for all the kind words and criticism. Until next time.


	13. Chapter 12

Hello again folks. Here's your next installment of the story. This was meant to be a short, mildly entertaining but not really advancing the plot, sort of chapter. Due to unforeseen difficulties with my computer, as well as the holidays themselves, this got put on the backburner. I apologize for that.

Once again, thanks to TheWatcherAndReader for acting as my beta.

* * *

He watched over her from his vantage point, through the dirty window that had streams of water flowing down it from the pouring rain. She seemed to be totally unaware of his presence, but all things considered, he couldn't blame her. She was pregnant after all, already starting to show. He was happy for her, and was proud in a way for the woman. She was the first of the survivors to bring new life into the world, and Naruto was probably as anxious as her to see his future nephew or niece. _Though I hope their hair color takes after their father, instead of their mother. I can't imagine what would happen if it was a boy with hair that shade of pink._

Ever since Konoha's fall, they had been on the run from Orochimaru's patrols and hunting squads. He still didn't recall the final parts of that vicious battle, only waking up in a small campsite with Sakura sleeping against the wall near his prone body. The camp was one, he would later learn, of many. When the civilians and shinobi protecting them fled Konoha under his last orders, they had separated into smaller groups in order to move quickly and to avoid detection. It was only luck that Naruto had ended up in the same camp as his old genin teammate.

According to what he had been told, Naruto owed a great debt to Rock Lee, who had opened the final celestial gate to pull his two eternal rivals out of that hell. Neji and Naruto had been too exhausted, too injured, and no longer able to fight, despite their willpower. Lee had always been protective of his friends, and with his 'father' already among the fallen, Naruto guessed that he refused to lose anyone else. When Neji had learned of Lee's fate, Naruto and the other survivors in their small group had respectfully turned away and gave the Hyuuga time to grieve. Naruto wasn't proud to say that he was one of the few that had seen the stoic Hyuuga cry for probably the first time since his father's death.

The small group had traveled slowly, alternating their route many times in order to avoid detection. It seemed that Orochimaru had anticipated their retreat to Kaze no Kuni, as they ran across more than one of Orochimaru's patrols. The civilians in their group didn't last long; the Oto shinobi taking a sick thrill of killing those unable to defend themselves. After a few weeks of constant pursuit and hiding, the survivors shifted gears. They knew that they would never make it to Gaara's lands like this, so the small group of about twenty shinobi of varying ranks went into hiding. They broke up into even smaller groups, shedding all of their shinobi markings and identifiers, short of their forehead protectors. Even those marks of pride were hidden as they would travel around, only to meet up again, both with their original group and with others who shared similar ideals in regards to Orochimaru's destruction. Naruto saw the signs of an underground resistance, of both peasants, as well as former samurai, forming shortly after the fall of the Lord of Hi no Kuni, and knew full well that the Konoha survivors would eventually play their part.

Naruto's current group had been hiding in this town for the better part of a year, blending in while surreptitiously communicating with their fellow Konoha-nin in hiding, as well as seeding the signs of revolt against the control of Oto. During this period, some of his fellow shinobi simply left, giving up to start new lives for themselves, sick of the fighting; of being hunted down like prey. It didn't surprise him, nor could he really blame them. The loss of one's home was devastating to one's character, especially after going to such lengths and still losing it. So he allowed them to leave, knowing full well that if he had asked them to stay, they would have.

He may not have been a Hokage, but the shinobi respected him on a level that easily matched one. He knew that if he had asked, they would have followed him to the gates of Hell. Some may have pissed themselves along the way, but they would have followed and fought alongside him.

Naruto shook his head, bringing himself back to the present. He gave a small smile, ignoring the pelting rain that was soaking him to the bone. "Are we ready yet?"

He sensed, more than heard, the woman's reaction and couldn't help but chuckle slightly at it. _People still aren't used to my detection skills. Though Kakashi-sensei was still able to sneak up on me, tricky bastard..._ He turned his head to look over his shoulder, taking in the figure of his comrade. He hadn't really known Uzuki Yugao until after Konoha's fall, but she was everything that any able-bodied commander could ask for in a Lieutenant. She was scarily efficient, effective, and knew how to get things done_. ANBU trained her well_. "Preparations are almost complete. Konohamaru is contacting everyone local to gather. Neji has already sent word to some of the others still in hiding of our plans via summoning. If there are loyal Konoha-nin out there still willing to fight, his summons will find them."

"Excellent. Well done," she only nodded at his words. It was a statement of fact after all. She knew fully well that Naruto didn't give compliments anymore. "We go on the move at dawn, make sure the others know."

"As you wish," she paused for a moment, her purple hair sticking to the sides of her face from the rain. "Do you really plan on not telling her?"

Naruto frowned slightly before he turned back to his watching. He released a sigh before speaking, allowing the sound of the rain to cover up his tone. "She can't come with us, senpai. You know this."

"I understand, but..."

"I understand your concern, but you don't know my sister like I do. Despite being in love with a man that truly makes her happy, having a child on the way, as well as a stable marriage to said man in her future, if she knew we were heading back to the front lines, she would follow us, and damn everything else."

"... It seems that you have rubbed off on her more than one would think."

He smirked at that. "I suppose," he let off a small chuckle before watching as Sakura's figure left the view of the window. "It's better this way."

"I think you're deluding yourself, boss, but I won't say anything else on the matter. Though I imagine Shizune will probably end up saying something to her. They are close, after all, and Shizune will be coming with us."

"You're probably right. That gives you the privilege of watching as she pounds me into paste for doing this when we return." He heard her short chuckle and joined her in laughter for a few moments before his face went sober. "Lieutenant, tell everyone to finish their business here. Come dawn, we go to fight another war."

The woman gave him a short salute reminiscent of her time in the ANBU, not that he could see it, before vanishing with the grace that all shinobi gain. "Yes, sir!"

Naruto only stared at the empty window for a few more moments before leaving as well. His voice would be covered by the pelting rain, but the wind would carry his words long after he was gone. "Goodbye Sakura."

-/-/-/

Mitarashi Anko never considered herself the touchy-feely type. After all, her idea of a good time was highlighting with Morino Ibiki at the torture and interrogation cells. She had always been energetic, even when she'd served under her traitorous sensei. That never changed, much to his annoyance and the amusement of the Sandaime Hokage. She ignored, mostly, Kurenai's attempts to get her to 'go out and find herself a man', not feeling comfortable with such things like relationships. The few times that she had listened to her friend and tried it out, it had led to more irritation and annoyance than anything else.

Except for that short period with Maito Gai a few months back. That had just been hilarious, both for her and Kurenai, a nice change really, as opposed to Kurenai simply laughing at her. She still smirked at the memories from time to time. _Heh, that spandex wearing freak and his little clone will NEVER do that little student-teacher bonding thing in front of me again._

She also had never considered herself the teaching-type, but as she watched the kid before her, she couldn't help but grin at how things were turning out. She had done that nameless wonder his favor, giving that scroll of jutsu to the Kyuubi-brat when he was ready. The kid hadn't trusted her at first, but upon saying she had jutsu to give him, his attitude shifted completely, thus leading to an interesting, and really goddamn entertaining, 'agreement' between the two.

To put it plainly, Anko came to the realization rather quickly that the kid would cut his own damn arm off if it would make him a stronger shinobi. Thus, Anko realized she could have some fun with this, as well as maybe picking up a few new jutsu as well. Or at least use him as one of her own jutsu guinia pigs. She offered to help him learn the techniques in the scroll, as long as he let her learn them too. He was confused at first, but eventually gave in. Anko thought she had won the better part of the deal; the kid couldn't be all that bad if he could do the water walking skill before being a genin, right?

She learned over the next few months that she probably should have thought her deal further before making it. Somehow, 'helping him with his techniques' grew to 'improving his skills', without her realizing it. After helping him learn those jutsu, the brat has somehow talked her into refining his taijutsu and other shinobi skills. _No, it wasn't so much that as it just physically hurt to watch the shitty movements that brat called taijutsu. After all, he virtually created a new definition of pathetic when it came to actual skill. _So she began 'helping him'. Nothing big at first, and she still only bothered when she had nothing better to do. She was busy on missions a lot, either out in the field or in the 'dungeon' with Ibiki. And she tended to barter 'training' for the talents of Konoha's biggest prankster. Kurenai was still having trouble airing out the fish smell from her apartment, in retaliation for trying to set Anko up on yet another date a few weeks back.

The scroll itself had consisted of a few Fuuton jutsu, mostly C – rank, which was understandable. She didn't know Nanashi that well, she doubted that even old man Hokage knew his mysterious 'retainer' that well, but she was fairly sure that he wouldn't give high-level techniques to an academy student. She held no such concerns; after all, he wasn't her student or anything, and she demonstrated this lack of concern every time she took him to paces in his taijutsu. She had quite of bit of fun turning him into a human punching bag, especially on her bad days, the few days she actually searched the pre-teen out. Naruto learned he should try to avoid Anko on those days; the days where killing intent was just hovering around her, even as she ate dango, her 'happy' food.

Amazing what that would do for a pre-genin's stealth skills, despite his wearing bright orange.

She watched the kid in amusement. "Come on brat, don't tell me you're giving up already. Psh, maybe I overestimated you, brat." She found amusement in his pissed off expression as he glared at her. She smirked back, not being able to help herself. _I pity that Iruka guy he's always talking about._ "I guess that's as far as you can go. You are still in the 'academy' after all." She played with the word, forcing a bit of mockery into her tone as she watched the fireworks behind the boy's eyes.

"Screw you, bitch," he ground out, forcing his hands through the seals again, trying to brute force the technique. She was teaching him a jutsu for a change, rather than just improving the one's he received from Nanashi. She knew she would probably get some flack for teaching him this, but the potential hilarity from the boy actually being able to do it was worth it.

She felt him form and twist the chakra, once again being impressed at his reserves, despite mocking him for everything she could. "Maybe when you're older... and I'm really drunk," she grinned in glee as his face flushed, his control slipping completely at her jab. She laughed at his open embarrassment, finding amusement in flustering him, as always.

He growled after hearing her laughter and forced himself through the technique again, blocking her out to the best of his ability, his voice a roar now. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

Anko blinked in surprised when she saw the shadow clones pop into existence. _Far more of them than I expected. Well, from the stupid look on his face, it seems that he's figured it out. _"All right!" she cried out, raising a fist in triumph. She cackled wildly as the boy and his clones followed her example. Beneath the insane laughter, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of pride at the success of her 'student'. _About damn time, kid. Despite his shitty physical skills and stupidity, the brat will go far on his chakra alone. If he ever masters it, he'll be a complete monster._ She shook her head, letting her laughter die down before looking at the kid with a sadistic grin. _And Kurenai said I'd never be a good sensei. _She internally chuckled at the suspicious expression on their faces, both creator and clones, before reaching into her coat and withdrawing a small piece of paper. She waved it once at him before saying, "Here's the list kid. You remember our deal, don't you?"

The clones popped out of existence, leaving numerous smoke plumes. The original simply grabbed the paper, a sadistic grin of his own covering his face. He looked it over quickly before nodding. "Oh, this is gonna be good..." his voice trailed off with something that could only send chills down the spines of those who had dealt with Konoha's most notorious prankster in the past. He raised an eyebrow at her in curiosity. "So why these people? I mean, I can understand oji-san, but who are these other people?" He gave the list another look before raising an eyebrow, "And some of them have 'suggestions' for their pranks," he paused, his eyes continuing down the list before stopping. "Damn... what the hell did Kurenai-san do this time?" he asked with after a short whistle of amazement.

Anko merely smirked. "That's a story for another day, brat. Now get to work! I expect the old man's office to gain its decorations before I go in for my next mission. And Kakashi-baka's book in my hand by the end of the week."

"O ye of little faith," Naruto chimed in, his eyes slanted into what Anko termed, the 'fox-grin.' It was one that never meant well for whoever his target was. As she watched him leave, she couldn't help but break into maniacal laughter, even as she walked back to her apartment.

The people on the street gave her a wide berth, most of them far too worried as to why the local psychopath was so happy.

-/-/-/

_How did things go to hell so quickly?_ She cursed under her breath as she continued lugging her injured teammate over her shoulder, ignoring the flares of pain that shot up her own slashed arm. She listened intently to the sounds of footsteps beside her, knowing that the other member of their squad was hiding his own wounds, in an attempt to keep the 'rookie' calm. Under other circumstances she would have simply snorted in disbelief at his arrogance, but right now she could only hope that he wasn't as injured as the smell of his blood was implying.

It was times like this when the enhanced senses of her sealed Bijuu irritated her.

It was supposed to be a simple search and destroy mission. The Yondaime Raikage, her mentor and surrogate father, even before his rise to power a little more than a year ago, had informed her that she would be accompanying a higher level team in order to gain some first hand experience. She had received advanced training and knew that she was at least Chuunin level, but she had relatively little experience, as many were uncomfortable working with her. _Even more so after the Sandaime marked Setsuka nee-sama as a traitor. _Her current teammates had been wary of her at first, but eventually they slid together to form a cohesive unit by the time they found their targets. Just some rogue shinobi that were causing headaches for the locals. Typically, Kumogakure no Sato wouldn't sortie a team for something so minor, but the fools had crossed a line when they attacked one of the village's genin teams.

The orders were clear. None were to be left alive for such an insult.

The three shinobi squad had tracked their targets to a small village and begun making preparations. She still didn't know if it was because the information they had been given was bad, or due to their own underestimation of their enemies, but Nii Yugito was still annoyed by the outcome. An ambush, well timed and planned, nearly took the makeshift oinin squad down before they realized what was happening. Their team's genjutsu specialist had nearly been impaled by a ninjato, only able to avoid the loss of the heart or a lung by Yugito's own quick reaction, shoving the older woman to the side. As she ran, carrying her comrade as if she were a parcel, Yugito knew that despite the horrific wound that still occurred, she had probably saved the woman's life.

Not that Yugito made it out much better. At her captain's command, she had unleashed everything in her arsenal, Raiton jutsu flying like fireworks on a night of celebration. As the enemy dodged her lightning bursts and jutsu, it became abundantly clear that the information that they had on these 'rogue' shinobi was complete shit._They were supposed to be Chuunin level, not this good! _After a brief, but ineffective battle, her squad leader had ordered a retreat. Yugito acted immediately, activating a distraction jutsu that consisted of bright flares before grabbing her injured comrade. Her squad captain had followed, at least after breaking one of their enemies' faces with his fist.

She shook her head, aggravated that her healing was not acting as fast as usual. _Damn you, Nibi! Fix me, damn it!_ There was no response from her inner demon, not that she expected one. In fact, she probably would have been more concerned with their situation if she actually had heard a response. She had only recently begun experimenting with drawing out the demon's chakra, and she wasn't going to risk using it if allies were present. There was no telling what the side-effects would do to her.

"Yugito, go ahead with Kiara. I'll stay here and buy some time," she turned to her captain at his gruff voice. A voice that expected to be followed without question.

She snarled back at him, hopping over a large boulder in her path as she spoke. "Fuck that, boss! You ain't that good!"

"Neither are you, kitty cat."

"Don't call me that," she hissed out. She was about to add something when a kunai flew in front of her face, causing her to lean backwards, the blade cutting the bridge of her nose. Her squad captain wasn't as lucky, as the projectile went straight into his chest as he had turned to speak to his subordinate. Yugito cursed as she ground to a halt before heading to her captain. He was still breathing, but unless the situation changed quickly, he was going to die soon.

"Heh, that was even easier than we planned!" The cocky voice came from behind her and she glared over her shoulder at the one who had thrown the kunai. He was probably in his mid-twenties, with black hair long enough that it went down to his waist.

"Bah, what do you expect out of Kumo? They've been on the way down ever since those tree-hugging bastards sent them packing in the last war," this voice sounded even older, and came from a man who was clearly in his forties, numerous scars running down his face that gave him a sinister look.

Yugito slowly placed her teammate down near her captain before turning on her pursuers. She glanced between the two of them with a glare. _There were three... where's the last bastard?_

"Where is that lazy prick?" the first one asked, obviously thinking along the same lines as Yugito.

The second shrugged. "He'll catch up. Now let's just deal with these dogs of the Raikage and head out of here. We've been here far too long."

The first nodded before looking back to the only member of the group still standing. "Such a pretty young woman... can I have some fun with her before we leave, boss?"

The second only chuckled darkly, ignoring the spike of killing intent from the female jinchuuriki. "Why not? She certainly looks feisty enough."

Yugito was about to growl something out, her hands preparing themselves for another jutsu before a new voice cut her off. "'Fraid I can't let you do that, bastards," the shinobi all looked upwards and were shocked to find a new arrival there, sitting lazily on a sturdy tree branch with a relaxed air about him. As if it was normal to see fights between shinobi everyday. He had blond hair, tied back into a short ponytail, and wore a mask and trench-coat. Yugito stiffened when she saw the emblem of Konoha on his forehead. _Great... just what we need..._

The rogue leader simply nodded towards his partner. The other rogue released a hail of shuriken at the new arrival's position. The shuriken weren't truly meant to harm him, it was a ploy to get him into a better position. But the man's plan was shattered when, with only a single hand seal, a barrier of swirling wind rose in front of the Konoha shinobi, sending the shuriken flying off in other directions. The blond simply stared down, his eyes narrowing at the two rogues before speaking in a calm voice. "You know, I was planning on letting you two run. But it looks like I'll have to send you to meet that idiot friend of yours."

"Bastard..." the man growled, his eyes narrowing further when staring at the new threat.

The same eyes widened in shock when a katana pierced his chest from behind. He stared down dumbly at the blade, before looking back up with a gurgle of blood in his throat, only to see the blond in the trees above disappear into nothingness.

Nanashi withdrew the blade quickly, following the attack with a brutal sidekick that sent the dying man's body into the nearest tree hard enough to knock branches down from above. He turned his gaze on the final rogue before flicking his blade once to remove some of the excess blood. "Now for you," the Konoha-nin unleashed the full force of his killing intent in an instant, paralyzing both his future victim and the shinobi he was saving. _Time to try one of my new moves._ He held his katana, given to him by Gekkou Hayate, in his right hand as his left lashed out, a three-pronged kunai thrown with incredible force. The enemy was able to snap out of his paralysis in time to move out of the way, but paled in horror when he heard the words behind him. "Raiton: Kaminari no Yaiba ." He couldn't even scream when the blade pierced him, the energy flowing through its edge electrocuting him with unrelenting force.

Yugito watched in a mixture of morbid fascination and disgust as his body convulsed wildly, his pupils rolling back so she could only see the whites of his eyes. It lasted for what seemed like hours before the blond holding the sword released the blade. She was curious as to why he did so, but the answer soon followed, the blade's edge melting down to its hilt from the high energy heat being generated. The man's body slumped down in silence, his body still twitching wildly, but Yugito tensed as the Konoha-nin simply stared at the body.

Nanashi let out a sigh as he stared at what 'had' been his sword. _Oh man, Hayate is going to fucking murder me when I get back. I really hope that wasn't some clan heirloom or something._ He turned his gaze to the Kumo kunoichi and tried not to smile beneath his mask at her tensing. "Yo!"

Yugito almost face-faulted when she heard his happy tone, as if he hadn't just killed two men and wasn't facing down one of his village's enemies. She quickly went into a defensive stance as he walked towards her slowly. Apparently, she wasn't very discrete about it as he stopped. She had the impression that he was frowning beneath his mask. "Who are you? What do you want?"

Nanashi stared at the woman before sighing. "My name's not important, and I was going to help you treat your squad mates," he raised an eyebrow at her distrustful expression before sighing again, reaching into his coat, eliciting more tensing. He pulled out a single scroll and held it up, only mildly amused when she stared at it instinctively, despite eyeing it warily. "Delivery service from Hokage-sama. Supposed to go to the Yondaime Raikage. Now do you want me to help you bandage those two up, or not?"

The two simply stared at each other in silence for quite some time, neither moving. The moment was only broken by the raspy coughs of the woman on the ground behind Yugito. "Kid, if he wanted us dead, we'd be dead already."

Yugito only turned her head to snarl at the woman. "Don't call me 'kid'." She pocketed the scroll without a thought, before walking to the woman. Without so much as another word, she pulled out the medical bandages from the woman's side pouch. Without looking, she threw one of the rolls to the strange Konoha shinobi, who had already moved to her squad captain. "Hurry up, tree hugger..." she muttered quietly.

"As you wish. After we get your teammates treated, I don't suppose a lovely band of Kumo-nin like yourselves would be willing to accompany little ol' me to your Raikage, eh?"

Yugito really had to fight to keep from lashing out at the man, biting her tongue in the process and tasting blood in her mouth. Even worse, she somehow knew that he knew she had done so, and had found amusement in it. As she bandaged up her comrade, she could only think of one thing.

_How come I have the feeling this guy is going to be a pain in my ass?_

-/-/-/

"Uzumaki Naruto," the man masked his emotions as he called on the student. Internally, he was praying that his blond-haired, ramen-obsessed student would pass this time. Iruka wasn't sure when it happened, or exactly how, but he had no qualms admitting to those he trusted that, despite all of the child's pranks and signs of pure idiocy, Naruto was by far his favorite student. Not just his favorite out of the current year, but rather, his favorite out of all the students he had ever had the privilege to teach. Not that teaching the boy hadn't been a trial in patience. The Sandaime once joked with him that he should be nominated as a local Kami for having the patience to deal with the hyperactive prankster on such a regular basis without complaint. Iruka had taken the compliment with a grain of salt, only saying he wished the boy spent as much time on his studies as he did on planning out his incredibly elaborate pranks.

So it was with great apprehension that he watched the orange jumpsuit wearing preteen walk down to the front of the class. The boy's grades were, as usual, once again on the verge of passing, and like every other time before; his passing was dependent on the boy being able to perform two of the three basic ninja techniques. A passing grade and graduation into Genin-ship would require the boy to perform Henge no jutsu and Bunshin no jutsu; one of Naruto's weakest skills.

"Okay Naruto, first, please transform into either Mizuki or myself." Iruka requested, a smile on his face as he looked down at his student. The boy let out a blinding smile, and Iruka couldn't help himself but allow his own to become a little less forced. _He has confidence. That's a good sign. _As he watched the boy start making seals, a small portion of his mind flashed in warning but he didn't have enough time to consider it before Naruto finished his jutsu.

"Henge no jutsu!" Iruka didn't bother to flinch at the sudden poof of smoke; he was used to it after all. And as he stared at Naruto's transformation, instead of seeing himself, he was met by a busty woman with blonde pigtails. Small floating clouds covered 'her' unmentionables and Iruka had to fight the massive onrush of blood. He found his eyebrow twitching as the girl puckered her lips before bring a finger to her lips. "So do I pass sensei?"

"NARUTO!" he barked out, ignoring the laughter from the class at the boy's newest prank. He could feel himself blushing and knew it was unbecoming of a Chuunin to be distracted so easily. His eyebrow continued twitching as the boy reverted to his real form, a fox like grin on his face. It was at that point that he conked Naruto on the head, prompting another round of laughter from the class. "Now do it right, this time!"

Naruto simply smiled up at him in amusement. "Lighten up sensei. Maybe you need to go on a date or something." Another twitch of the eyebrow before the blond decided enough was enough. He quickly formed the seals again. "Henge no jutsu!"

This time, once the smoke cleared, Iruka was treated to his own visage, which was accurate down to even the slight wrinkles in his clothing. Iruka couldn't help himself and allowed himself a small grin, impressed at his student's improvement. Last time, Naruto couldn't even get his clothing right, and it spoke volumes about how much the boy had improved since the last exam. _I knew he could do it if he applied himself. But this is a drastic jump in his skill... Maybe I should ask him about it later?_ He shook the thought away before smiling at Naruto. "That's enough, Naruto. Excellent improvement," he chuckled slightly as the boy reverted to himself, scratching the back of his head sheepishly at the compliment. "Now, please make three clones using the bunshin no jutsu."

The boy's hand halted immediately, and Iruka winced at the feeling that had just risen in his gut. _So he still can't do a decent bunshin. Come on, Naruto. You can do this!_He had been expecting a heartfelt attempt and eventual failure, knowing that this was the boy's worst skill. He hadn't been expecting a question that stunned him. "Ne, sensei, will any bunshin do?"

Iruka blinked at the odd question. He looked over at his fellow teacher, Mizuki, who only shrugged, before turning back to Naruto. "I suppose so... remember Naruto, you need to make three."

The boy's grin returned full force. "No problem Iruka-sensei." Iruka blinked once again as the boy's hands twisted into a single cross-shaped hand seal before the boy all but bellowed out, "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Iruka could feel his insides churning from the palpable feeling of chakra being released from his student and was caught off guard by the smoke plumes that appeared around him. He coughed a few times before the smoke dissipated.

Umino Iruka had come to expect the unexpected from Naruto. He had lived a similar life growing up, or at least as far as being desperate for attention and pranking for that attention. He knew the boy was smarter than he let on, as he was easily able to evade pursuit wearing bright orange after any number of his numerous pranks. However, he had not expected the boy to create over a dozen solid clones, all surrounding him and Mizuki. _Kage Bunshin? That's a kinjutsu! How in the name of the Sandaime did he learn such a thing? _"Ne, how's that?" The class had gone silent, obviously expecting the blond to fail again as he had done so numerous times throughout the year. Iruka doubted that any of them truly understood what Naruto had just done, but he was still having a hard time processing it as well. He actually heard Mizuki choking on something behind him and knew he wasn't imagining what had just occurred.

Finally, he heard Mizuki's voice from behind. "Iruka, are these...?" He began, trailing off in shock.

"Kage bunshin..." Iruka's voice was hollow, shock overriding his system. He shook himself out of it before leveling a stern glare at Naruto, who flinched back. Iruka softened his look a bit at that before asking. "Naruto, how did you learn this? I know you didn't learn this on your own."

Naruto placed both hands on the back of his head, completely oblivious to the strange looks his classmates were giving him. The boy chuckled a bit with a grin before answering. "I got psycho-bitch to teach it to me."

Iruka looked over his shoulder at Mizuki, who was looking back at him with the same expression of disbelief. _Psycho-bitch?_ "Psycho... bitch...?" He repeated the words slowly and calmly, his disbelief apparent as he trailed off.

He shrugged. "I think old man Hokage called her Anko... something or other. She's a total psychopath though, so I just call her psycho-bitch."

Uchiha Sasuke apparently was tired of this and scoffed. "They're just a bunch of bunshins, dead last." Several of the other students nodded in agreement, not knowing of what the kage bunshin involved. Not that they should; it was a kinjutsu after all.

Iruka narrowed his eyes at that before speaking again. "Actually, Sasuke, these are a very unique type of bunshin. They are not mere illusions, and can interact with the physical world, among other things. Not only that," he continued, somewhat amused at the interested looks that were now in many of his other students' eyes, "they require a far greater amount of chakra to create and maintain. In fact, even making a few can have a severe impact on the chakra reserves of a seasoned jounin." He turned his eyes back to Naruto. "You pass, Naruto. Though, I would like to speak with this Anko woman. She shouldn't be teaching skills like this to academy students."

Naruto actually looked scared at that request. "No way!" Iruka couldn't keep his confused expression off his face. Naruto picked up on this and explained. "I like you too much, Iruka-sensei! I wouldn't expose Sasuke-teme to her if I could help it, let alone you!"

Iruka gained a bemused look before shaking his head. "Go sit down, Naruto. We'll discuss this later." As he watched his blond-haired student walk back to his seat, a chill of utter foreboding washed over him. As if predicting something horrible in the near future. He shook it off, calling down another student. As he watched his next student perform the transformation technique, he found himself wondering one thing.

_I wonder who this Anko person is..._

-/-/-/

Naruto sat in silence, overlooking the night horizon with an odd sense of peace. The stars were bright, and he was in a place where he had a free view of the sky for the first time in a long time. He had stopped counting days long ago. It was depressing if he allowed himself to dwell on it. After a few moments, he spoke to his companion. "Konohamaru, is everyone ready? We're only going to get one chance at this. Odds are, the snake knows we're coming too, and is ready for us," he could sense the brown haired young man nod at his former 'rival'. The boy had grown into a dependable shinobi, one that would make his grandfather proud. While not nearly being one of Naruto's strongest allies, he wouldn't give the former member of the Konohamaru Corps up for anything.

Konohamaru leveled his gaze at Naruto and spoke quietly. There was no need to, but one could never be too careful. He had learned that a long time ago, during the war where he had lost the other two members of his genin cell early. As much as he hated to give the man any credit, Ebisu did his work well in his training. "Yeah, Boss. The Captain already put us through this. We'll be ready to move out in the morning. According to the info we have, at an even pace, we should come across that bastard snake's group in three days."

"Which, of course, means that we'll meet them on the second," Naruto commented with a hint of dry humor. Misinformation was common nowadays, and it wouldn't be the first time the resistance had walked into a trap on purpose. Something that aggravated the snake on more than one occasion.

Konohamaru shrugged, having no answer for his friend. He had long since given up on competing with Naruto for anything. When the two had been children, he had admired his friend for his skill and unbending personality. He admired his friend long before ever actually seeing the boy in battle. After the first battle the two fought alongside each other, Konohamaru knew that, if anything, his friend was overly modest about his strength. During the war, he came to respect Naruto's attitude, leadership, and fighting ability that rivaled that of famous jounin. He had never personally served under Naruto during the war, or worked alongside him on any missions prior to joining the resistance.

After serving under Naruto's command for the last four years in the resistance, Konohamaru knew he would die without hesitation, if Naruto asked it of him.

_Odd how that happened..._ Konohamaru idly mused, his own gaze traveling skyward as well. He looked at the blond sitting in front of him one more time. _Then again, he's given all of us everything he has without a second thought or a single complaint. How can we do any different? He would have made a damn good Rokudaime._

Konohamaru's musings were cut off when he felt someone behind him. He reached for a kunai on reflex as he made to turn but was surprised when he felt Naruto's hand grasp his wrist, halting his movements. The blond hadn't even turned around, nor looked at Konohamaru or their new guest. "It's fine, Konohamaru. Go get some rest. We're moving out at first light."

Konohamaru only looked between his leader and their unexpected guest for a few moments before nodding. "Sure thing, Boss. You get some rest too," he pulled his hand back after Naruto released him and began walking away, his eyes never leaving the silent man who was now with his friend. He only shot the man one final look, as if to say 'you hurt him, I'll kill you myself', despite knowing that he was no match for this shinobi, before leaping away.

The visitor simply walked forward before he was standing beside Naruto, never saying a word as he joined in Naruto's observation of the heavens. Neither spoke for a long time, before Naruto finally let out a sigh. "I can see why you like it here. Despite the heat and the sand, it's pretty cool." He continued on, knowing that his companion was unlikely to say anything on the matter. "Do you ever just wonder why things turned this way?"

"Not particularly." The man's voice was monotone, as if bored, but Naruto knew him better than that. Most couldn't stomach their fear long enough in the presence of Sabuku no Gaara to learn how to understand his monotones, but Naruto considered himself an expert on the subject.

Naruto finally turned his head to his friend, staring at the red headed man with a hint of amusement. Gaara wasn't looking at Naruto, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared impassively at the horizon. "Not even once? Never wondered why your old man put that idiot raccoon in you? Or just how you were able to become Kazekage, despite a majority of the villagers here being scared shitless of you?"

Gaara only stared at him for a long time. "Cause and effect, Naruto. Nothing more."

The blond only chuckled dryly at his friend's matter of fact tone. _Gaara was never one for philosophic thoughts. Then again, neither was I._"Of course, of course."

The two were once again plunged into silence as the blond turned his gaze back towards the horizon. It didn't last nearly as long this time before Gaara's voice broke it. "They do not know... do they?"

Naruto only shook his head. Unconsciously, his right hand traveled down to his stomach as he answered his friend's query. "No, and for all intents and purposes, it is better that they don't. Otherwise, they'll waste time trying to convince me not to do it."

"As if you would listen."

"Hey, I don't plan on using it unless I have to! Do I look suicidal or something?"

"..."

"Well played, Sandman. Well played. I trust that you'll take them in when it's all over?"

Gaara merely looked his friend in the eyes, narrowing his own. "If they will accept loyalty to the Sand."

"Good enough."

"Temari and Kankuro have expressed their willingness to aide you in this last mission of yours."

Now that little tidbit caused Naruto to look at the Kazekage with a hint of shock before realization set in. "I'm sure that you had nothing to do with it," he drawled, sarcasm present in his voice.

Gaara simply looked at him for a moment before saying, "No." His monotone was the same as always, but the fact that Gaara had averted his eyes for a moment spoke the truth on the matter.

Naruto chuckled at that. _Seems Gaara still has it in him to bully people around sometimes..._ "Gaara, we've been over this. If this fails, I don't want it tracked back to Suna. You have taken care of my people; I refuse to lead Orochimaru to your doorstep."

Gaara actually scoffed at that comment. "Foolish. It's well known that you and I are allies. If Orochimaru does not know of my involvement with the resistance, then he truly is a fool."

"Oh, I have no doubts that he suspects something. But he won't make a move on your turf without iron-clad proof. Despite his arrogance, he knows that you would squash him and his tone-deaf minions with the amount of sand this desert provides. Just like you squashed those two Akatsuki idiots."

Gaara only shook his head. "What's it called?"

Naruto blinked at that. "What?"

"Your shinjutsu. I have doubts that you have recorded it anywhere. Just so if one of your followers asks me, I can give an honest answer."

Naruto scratched the back of his head at that, feeling as if the redhead was chastising him somehow. "Well, I call it the Death God's Dance."

Gaara actually cracked a smirk at the odd name. "Dance?"

Naruto shrugged in response. "Well, it takes two to tango. It works on the premise..."

-/-/-/END FLASHBACK-/-/-/

"That damn cat..." Naruto muttered, glaring hatefully at the cat that Sakura carried back to its owner. He didn't know how many times they had been sent to retrieve the damn mongrel, but he did allow himself a sick sense of satisfaction when he saw the owner give the vermin a hug that was obviously painful. _Suffer, kitty, suffer! I didn't hate cats until I became a genin; because of you Tora-chan! Bwahahaha!_

Naruto shook his head as his mental laughter settled down, ignoring Kakashi-sensei announce that the mission was complete. _Man, this sucks. Sent to retrieve animals, weed people's gardens, deliveries. I thought being a ninja would be cool, but it's like we didn't even need to go to the academy for this stupid crap! _He turned an eye on the bastard and noticed that despite the boy's attempts, a rare twitch of annoyance was showing through the existence of a twitching eyebrow. _At least I'm not the only one, not that the bastard will ever admit it._

The small group began walking back towards the Hokage's tower. Kakashi-sensei was reading his book; Sakura was asking Sasuke out on a date, only to be shot down, again and again. Naruto, for once, remained mostly silent, only letting out a sigh. _I could be Ichiraku's right now... mmmm, sweet, delicious, ramen..._

They weren't in Konoha 'proper', more towards the outskirts of the village itself. In fact, their path to the Hokage's tower would take them past their training area, where much to Naruto's surprise and annoyance, they had yet to actually do any real training at. _I thought jounin-sensei were supposed to actually, I don't know, teach! I learned more from psycho-bitch in one day than I have in the months since becoming a genin._ His thoughts had taken a bad turn and he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. It was one of the things that Anko had taught him, though through no effort of her own. _If you get angry too easily, then someone will kick your ass just as easily._

It was debatable that he was lucky that they were outside the main streets of the village. If they had been, he probably wouldn't have sensed the kunai heading towards him. Then again, if they had been surrounded by civilians, the attack might not have happened. _What am I thinking? As if that would stop her! _He dove to the side, shocking his teammates and maybe even his sensei as he burst into his favorite hand seal formation, getting ready to summon shadow clones to aide him. He didn't bother to notice the shocked looks from his two teammates, nor the expression of amusement from his one-eyed sensei, only looking for the direction that the next attack would come from.

He stiffened when he felt something scaly against the back of his neck. He hesitated only for a second before spinning quickly, stabbing a kunai into the snake's head, grinning slightly at its hiss of pain, before dispelling itself. He coughed a bit from the smoke before something impacted hard against his face, sending him bouncing along the ground several feet before coming to a sudden stop. Naruto only wearily opened his eyes, knowing damn well that his nose was probably bleeding from that kick, to stare into the twinkling grayish-brown eyes of a woman that he knew rather well, leaning over him with a grin on her demented face. He opened his mouth to say something but shut it immediately when a very familiar looking snake summon was dropped on his chest. _Not the poisonous snake again..._

"Howdy, brat!" Anko apparently felt no need to disguise her glee at openly attacking a genin in front of his team. "Saw you walking down the street and I just thought, gee it's been a long time since Kraitler-chan got to play with his favorite chew toy."

Naruto blinked a few times, totally ignoring the poisonous snake on his chest that was eyeing him like a new meal. "Have I ever mentioned how much I don't like you?" His voice was surprisingly calm, all things considered.

Kakashi gazed at all of this in amusement. He watched as the purple-haired woman snarled at the blond's words, hissing out some sort of command to her snake before he finally spoke his piece, still reading his book. "As amusing as this is... why are you attacking my student, Anko-san?"

Anko looked over at the masked man, as if only now noticing his presence. "Copycat? The brat is one of yours? When the hell did you pass a genin team?"

"Ma... it was bound to happen sooner or later," Kakashi drawled, casually turning a page in his book.

"Sensei! Get this psychopath away from me!" Naruto cried out, his eyes not leaving the snake that was slowly traveling closer to his face. "Nice snake... nice snake..."

Sakura finally spoke up, her voice hesitant as it shifted between the strange woman and the snake on Naruto's chest. Granted she didn't particularly like the boy, but she didn't want anything bad to happen to him. "Umm... sensei, that snake looks hungry..."

Kakashi only closed his book with a sigh. "And it was becoming so entertaining too... Anko-san, if you would be so kind?"

Anko only pouted at the man, complete with quivering lip. "Do I have to?" When she got blank stares in return, she only scoffed. "Tch, pussies." She hissed once more, dispelling her snake, and glared down at the genin on the ground. "Guess this means that you actually passed that stupid test."

Naruto only sat up and glared. "I told you'd I be a shinobi soon enough."

Anko only pushed her leg forward a bit, albeit none too gently. "Can it brat. Talk to me after you get some C-ranks under your belt. A genin is nothing special." She then turned her eyes on Sakura and Sasuke. Sakura flinched under the woman's stare and even Sasuke seemed uncomfortable near the woman. "Hmmm, so they saddled you with the Uchiha brat, that blond idiot, and... who are you girl? I don't recognize you."

"Haruno Sakura! Ma'am!" Sakura quickly answered, bowing her head a few times. She didn't know why, but this Anko person seemed to make her nervous as hell. Inner Sakura was more distracted by what the woman was wearing. _How can she get away with wearing that in public? _A few short moments passed before her inner voice frowned, _and why does it actually look good on her?_ Sakura began ignoring her inner voice after that, as it was taking a treacherous turn.

Anko only raised an eyebrow, raising her foot and holding it against Naruto's forehead as he tried to attack her. She only turned her head to Kakashi in disbelief. "So they gave you Konoha's precious little Uchiha, the village prankster, and a first generation kunoichi? Who the hell did you piss off and how exactly did you do it?"

Kakashi only chuckled at Naruto's display. "Talent, I suppose. Naruto, please stop trying to attack Anko-san before she decides to actually hurt you."

Naruto only glared at his sensei before taking a few steps back from Anko. "Psycho-bitch..." He muttered under his breath, only to feel the sting of a kunai as it flew past his face. Anko was behind him instantly, a firm grip on him as she brought her finger to the blood trail to scoop up some of it into her mouth.

The three genin simply stared, Naruto's eyebrow twitching at the woman's antics. Kakashi smiled, his visible eye becoming an expression that one would think the mask needed to be gone for. "Anko-san, please stop trying to scare my students."

"Oh, but Kakashi-chan, your student's blood is so... tasty." She said in a cute voice, only trailing off into a vicious leer.

Kakashi nodded knowingly, though in reality, even he was started to get a little crept out. "I'm sure it is, Anko-san."

Sasuke spoke for the first time, his eyes narrowing as if something finally clicked. "Psycho-bitch... you're the one who taught him that jutsu."

Anko only blinked owlishly at the last Uchiha. "Which jutsu?"

Kakashi only sighed, now starting to find the situation less amusing. _Of course. Only Mitarashi would teach a kinjutsu to a child... and of course, Sasuke will want to learn some as well. Damn kids..._ "I'm assuming he means the Kage Bunshin no jutsu." A slight pause. "Please tell me that you weren't the one who taught him a kinjutsu."

Anko only scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Eh, heh. I wasn't the one who taught it to him?" It wasn't a statement, and the two genin and their instructor couldn't help but sweat drop at the woman's reaction.

"Why Naruto?" Sasuke asked, his voice starting to get a little irritated. Kakashi and Sakura both looked at him in surprise, as it was unusual for Sasuke to get this visibly irritated around someone, besides Naruto, that is.

Anko shrugged, pushing Naruto forward and watching as he came to a stop in front of Kakashi and turned around. "Why not? We had a mutual exchange of interests. And he has the fucking chakra for it." She paused for a moment before letting out a grin as she took a few steps towards Sasuke and Sakura tensed. Kakashi continued watching, though it was plain that he was more interested in pulling his book out again more than anything else. "Aww, is the little Uchiha jealous?" Her voice was saccharine sweet, yet ever so mocking. She reached Sasuke and leaned forward, giving the genin an ample view of her cleavage before running a finger down his chest with a suggestive grin. "Play your cards right kid, and maybe I'll... 'teach' you too."

Sakura was stuttering and blushing at the woman's words, her inner self spiraling downwards in fury that someone dared to touch 'her' Sasuke-kun. Sasuke was fighting the urge to blush, especially since he was having trouble removing his gaze from Anko's impressive chest. Kakashi simply chuckled, finding it amusing to see his most talented student so shaken up by a woman's charms and some skin. _Hmm, perhaps I should lend him a copy of Icha Icha?_

Of course, all good things have to come to an end. "Ne, Anko-san, I don't think that'll work. I'm pretty sure that the bastard is gay. Or asexual or something." Kakashi only let out a sigh as Naruto was assaulted by his two teammates in unison at his mocking words. As Kakashi watched Anko laugh at the display, he couldn't help but wonder how the hell Naruto met Orochimaru's former apprentice. _Then again, considering it's Naruto and Anko, perhaps it's better I don't ask._

Anko only grinned as she walked over to stand beside Kakashi and watched the ensuring brawl between the blond and his rival, the pink haired girl already sitting out and cheering her hero on. "Heh, this is too damn funny. I might have to bother you guys more often."

Kakashi had a horrible feeling rush up his spine at those words. _Oh dear kami, no._ "I suppose..."

She only smirked at him before turning to leave. "Tell the brat that I'll see him around. I haven't put him through the paces in a while. Should be fun." With those words the woman simply walked away, cackling like an insane person the entire way.

Kakashi only shook his head, turning his attention back to his book. As he ignored the fight between his students, he could only wonder one thing. _How come I have the feeling that life is going to become far more complicated than it needs to be?_

-/-/-/

Nanashi only sighed as he took his seat. It had been a long day. He was weary and exhausted, and by all rights should be skipping the drinks and simply passing out in the room he rented at the small inn and tavern. But he had just perfected his newest technique, and felt he had to celebrate it somehow. He only sighed as he signaled the bartender, feeling as if his arm was about to fall off. He placed his order quickly before placing his head down on the counter and closing his eyes. _Damn, I'm tired. It was worth it though. I bet even my old man would have never have thought to try it out._ He felt, rather than heard, the bartender return with his drink. Without really thinking about it, he pulled out some ryo and placed it on the table, not even bothering to look up.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that Nanashi actually raised his head up off the counter, reaching for his drink with a tired sigh. He was caught off guard by a familiar voice, "Damn, buddy, that must be one hell of a technique you're developing."

Nanashi almost choked on his drink. _What are the chances? _He patted his chest a few times to cough up the drink that had gone down the wrong tube before pulling up his mask and answering. "You can tell?"

"Tch, I can practically smell the leftover chakra residue coming off of you like you haven't had a bath in weeks."

Nanashi hummed in amusement at that before finally turning his eyes on the man whom he had taken a seat next to without even realizing it. "Maa, it'll be worth it."

The silver haired man merely chuckled, taking a sip of his own drink. "Hope so. You look like hell."

Nanashi only shrugged, his hand reaching out towards the man. "Name's Nanashi. I work for old man Hokage. Pleasure to meet ya, Jiraiya-sama. Can I buy ya a drink?"

* * *

In case you didn't realize it, the first section and the section where Naruto is talking to Gaara are flashbacks. I decided that I wasn't going to use complete blocks of italics for it, as it does become hard to read after a while. 

Jutsu List:

**Raiton: Kaminari no Yaiba (Lightning Blade)** - C-rank Raiton technique. Simple technique that consists of charging a physical blade with electric energy. Will electrocute anyone stuck by the blade. Think of it as a weaker version of Uchiha Sasuke's 'recent' (I may be working off of really old info here) lightning manipulation in the manga. Unfortunately for our dear friend Nanashi, he forgot that not all blades are meant to handle chakra as he uses it, thus melting the gift that Hayate gave him when he left for his trip.

**Ninpou: Death God's Dance** - Unranked (As only one person has ever performed it, or ever will). If it were to be marked down in the annuels of shinobi history, the Death God's Dance would be labeled as either a kinjutsu (forbidden technique) or a shinjutsu (suicide technique). This will not happen, as the technique can only be performed by those who have some sort of connection to the death god itself; in Naruto/Nanashi's case, the Shiki Fujin that was placed on him at birth. Naruto/Nanashi developed this technique as his ultimate suicide attack during the remnant period. It involves allowing temporary possession by the spirit of the death god to destroy one enemy the user targets in their mind ahead of time. While under the possession of the Shinigami, the host loses all fear, inhibitions, and external sensation (such as pain). The host's combat abilities skyrocket far beyond what the human body can handle, even a Jinchuuriki like Naruto/Nanashi, and the longer the technique is active, the faster the host's body destroys itself. The technique also sacrifices whatever chakra the user holds, including the chakra of the Kyuubi no Kitsune within Naruto/Nanashi. The host will continue fighting, regardless of damage until it's target has been destroyed. The spirit of the death god will then fade, leaving the user to suffer the consequences of invoking a god's spirit in a mortal body.  
This is the technique Naruto uses in the prologue of this story, and why his body is all but obliterated after his battle with Orochimaru. He was supposed to die after using this, but his assumption that it was the Kyuubi that accelerated his healing was incorrect. Hence why, due to the quick actions of Konoha's medic-nin, he was able to survive after his time jump.  
On a side note, Nanashi is unsure if he is still capable of using this technique, as the Shiki Fujin seems to have vanished from his body after his little time trip. In all likelihood, Nanashi will take the knowledge of this jutsu to the grave.

After this, ToR will most likely be on a short hiatus. I wish to finish up Clans, and since I started this, I've pretty much let that vanish into the depths of my hard drive. I only have one more chapter of it to go, so this little hiatus will most likely be dependent on how efficient I can be with that final chapter.

Until next time.


	14. Chapter 13

Once again, many thanks to my beta TheWatcherAndReader. 

* * *

Sarutobi sighed tiredly as he walked down the corridor towards his office. While he did not particularly mind having to awaken so early in order to complete the near-endless stream of paperwork that passed through his office, this cool damp morning he had no qualms about admitting that he wasn't getting any younger. He nodded morning greetings to the few ANBU that he passed, even those who were concealed and weren't supposed to return his greetings. It was to be expected after all; the tower was a stronghold of information that could never leave Konoha. Even the lower levels were highly guarded, despite the fact that the knowledge stored within was ancient even to the shinobi who had earned the name 'The Professor'. Not to mention that the Hokage himself was constantly in the tower, causing the guards to truly take their job seriously. After all, no ANBU guard would want to be known as the one who allowed an intruder to murder their Hokage.

Sarutobi scoffed at the idle thought as he opened the door to his office. _You think that they would think a little higher of their Hokage... Though, their loyalty is touching._ He chuckled at his odd thought before closing the door behind him. When he began walking towards his desk, he stopped in mid-step, his eyes wide. Sitting calmly in a chair next to his window overlooking the village was a man, his legs propped up on the Hokage's own chair. A pair of porcelain cups were sitting on the Hokage's desk, filled with hot tea, jasmine at that, by the scent of it. _Who the hell?_

The man merely turned his head and stared at the elder ninja with a pair of electric blue eyes, mischief dancing within their depths as they took in the man's dumbfounded expression. With a simple wave of his hand, the man's eyes crinkled into a smile as he spoke. "Yo! What took you so long, Ojij-san?"

Sarutobi simply stared, at a loss for words. After a few minutes, he finally asked, "How did you get in here without anyone noticing?"

Nanashi shrugged, turning his attention back to the view of the village below. "Eh, that's like asking someone how they breathe, old man." Sensing a glare being directed at him, Nanashi turned back to the Sandaime with a cheeky grin on his exposed face. "Come on old man, I was avoiding Chuunin and ANBU when I was a kid, for kami's sake. Wearing incredibly bright, orange clothes, at that. Do you honestly think that a war wouldn't increase my stealth skills?" He paused for a moment. "And your ANBU suck, by the way. They didn't even sense me enter the village, let alone the tower." At that, Nanashi gestured towards the desk, removing his feet from the Hokage's chair as he did so. "Come on, tea's getting cold."

Sarutobi considered the man's words for a moment, before nodding. After all, there was no reason to let good tea go to waste. He walked forward and took a seat, not even bothering to question in the man was who he was pretending to be. There could be no doubt, as the man himself even alluded to being Konoha's number one prankster, something that for all rights was impossible_. At least, it should be. _Sarutobi shifted his chair slightly, taking his cup in his hands as he looked over the village with the blond-haired shinobi sitting beside him. He took a small sip, savoring its taste before speaking. "So, how was your trip?"

"Meh, can't complain." The blond mused to his superior. He reached into his coat and withdrew a small scroll before handing it to the Sandaime. Not caring to notice the odd look the man was sending him, Nanashi simply replied, "From Ero-sennin. Information on both Orochimaru and Akatsuki's movements."

Sarutobi accepted the scroll with a raised eyebrow. "You met Jiraiya?"

Nanashi couldn't help himself and a small chuckle drifted out. "Better than that. The pervert challenged me to a drinking contest." 

Sarutobi chuckled at that, remembering the times that his three students had gathered after missions when they were still in their younger years. Orochimaru would undoubtedly avoid partaking in said challenge, and due to some sort of cosmic irony, would the one to cart his two smashed comrades home, as opposed to just leaving his two counterparts to rot. Of course, Tsunade could never turn down a bet and met his most perverted student's challenge every time. He still remembered the complaints he used to receive from the various taverns within the village after his trio of misfits would return from a mission. "You'll have to tell me the story about how that came about sometime."

"Speaking of which, he'll be back for the exams. Don't be too surprised if he hunts down the local troublemaker for some training." Nanashi added, a bit of humor in his voice.

Sarutobi only shook his _head. I will have to ask him how he managed that. Then again, that's what was going to happen regardless. Perhaps he simply means that Jiraiya will return sooner. "_And your training?"

"Adequate," The man simply replied, "I'm not where I want to be, but it's going to have to work." He shrugged again, this time reaching for his own cup on the Hokage's desk. He took a sip, "Besides, I've got some ideas for training while I'm here as well." He paused before venturing a question, "you probably can't tell me, classified info and all, but did the Raikage ever give you an answer?"

The Hokage blinked before a smile came to the elder's face. "Let's say that the days to come will be quite fruitful, and that's all I will say on the matter."

"Stingy."

"Of course." 

"Alright, old man. For your information, the jinchuuriki of the Nibi no Nekomata is quite charming... at least when she isn't trying to kill you." Nanashi chuckled as the thoughts of the kunoichi echoed through his brain and the great joy he took in annoying her as he helped her team back to Kumogakure.

"I'm sure. You seem to have an uncanny ability to irritate kunoichi, Naruto."

"Bah, it's a gift. An undiscovered bloodline limit, I'm sure." Nanashi smirked once more, taking a sip of the tea before continuing. "I've passed on the info about Akatsuki to both Suna and Kumo. Whether or not they choose to become our enemies is one thing, but from what I was able to learn about Akatsuki in my time, they will become a threat to all. Especially to those villages who house jinchuuriki."

"Suna has a jinchuuriki?" Sarutobi frowned at that. While it would not be unheard of, for Konoha to not know of such a thing was surprising in and of itself. They knew about Kumo's container for the Nibi no Nekomata, a kunoichi a few years older than Naruto's genin counterpart by the name of Nii Yugito, but had heard nothing in regards to Suna having one.

Nanashi nodded. "The Kazekage's youngest son. He's actually going to taking part in the Chuunin examination, and it is planned for him to have a vital role during the invasion itself, though that will be thwarted by damage he takes during his match." Nanashi paused for a moment as he considered that. He had loved Gaara like a brother but he had to grudgingly admit that if it were not for Sasuke knowing chidori and actually injuring Gaara during their match, Shukaku would have been unleashed in the center of the village itself as it was planned and it was unlikely that Konoha would have survived that. "I'll have a full psych write-up for you in a week or two on both Gaara and what I've seen in Yugito-san."

The Sandaime Hokage frowned once again. "Naruto, I don't like the way that you seem to be trying to playing the puppet master in all this."

"I'm not trying to. Well, not really. I haven't misled you or anything, and you know what's going to happen now anyway. I'm just trying to cover all our bases." Nanashi's face went dead serious as he stared out the window at the village. "It's not negotiable. Orochimaru must die during, ideally, the examination itself, or the invasion that is to come. He's the catalyst that leads everything into the third layer of hell."

"And you intend to be the one to take his head?"

"I don't care who kills him, but I won't deny that if I get the chance that I would take great satisfaction in being the one to do so. I've killed him once by sacrificing myself; I would do so again in a heartbeat."

Sarutobi sighed at that. _Yet another shinobi filled with thoughts of vengeance. He has reason to and I don't disagree with him, but to see Naruto grow into one so obsessed with revenge is saddening._ "Not if I get to him first. He is my mistake, after all."

Nanashi leveled a blank stare at the elder shinobi. It was enough to actually cause the old man to wonder what was going on behind those cerulean eyes before Nanashi closed his eyes. "As you wish." There was a long silence between the two as they sipped their tea, neither removing their eyes from the view of the village. Finally, Nanashi asked, "So, anything interesting happen while I was gone?" His voice was no longer serious, and held a note of amusement.

"You mean besides everything that you already knew would happen?" The Hokage asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Eh, I guess."

Sarutobi simply shook his head again in amusement. "Perhaps another time. As much as I would love to sit and chat, I do have paperwork to complete. So unless you're offering your services to aid me in this endeavor, you might as well be on your way. I'll call you back for a full report when I'm ready for it."

The man smirked. "I was never even here, old man. Kage Bunshin are amazing things, aren't they? Keep it in mind, might help with that paperwork." With that, and an audible pop in the air, the man sitting beside him, drinking tea with him, vanished in a plume of smoke. Sarutobi blinked before frowning. _I was having tea and a conversation with a Kage Bunshin the entire time and I didn't even realize it? Wait, can chakra manifestations even drink tea?_ He shook his head in a mixture of amusement and sadness. _I really AM getting old..._

-/-/-/

It was another day in the boring routine that was Team seven. As usual, Sakura was the first to arrive at the team's usual meeting place, still looking tired but oddly refreshed as well. She sat on the edge of the small bridge that the team usually met at, merely watching the surroundings. She never did tire of the natural beauty of her village, and it seemed even more so after spending so much time away. While, she could appreciate Wave's style and the way the ocean looked at sunrise, in her mind it paled in comparison to the foliage of Konoha. 

She could feel someone approaching at the edges of her, admittedly small, senses. Already know who it was, as this was completely routine by now, she smiled at looked towards her boyfriend and all-around love, Uchiha Sasuke.

Well, to be fair, he wasn't her boyfriend yet. But she knew deep within herself that the boy could only resist her feminine charms for so long before falling madly in love with her. Her inner-self cheered in agreement and the two mentally began discussing plans for their future wedding and the possible names of their first born.

While this was happening, Sasuke merely stared at the pink-haired kunoichi as he walked towards the same bridge. He was wondering why she wasn't greeting him in her normally annoying way when he saw the strange, almost dreamy, expression on her face. Deciding that he was better off not knowing, he simply grunted before leaning against the opposite-side of the bridge. He began spinning a kunai by its ring end, an odd habit that he had picked up ever since graduation and being forced to wait for his perpetually late sensei. He knew it should bother him, as habits were weaknesses, but at this early hour, he could never bring himself to care. Instead, he found his mind wandering back to the battle in Wave, when his birthright finally awakened against the fake hunter-nin known only as Haku. Even in a battle that was clearly beyond him, it was an invigorating experience, and knew that his eyes would only improve with time and experience. It wouldn't be long before he rose to the top and was ready to hunt down his traitorous kin. And he would take great joy in forcing that traitor to stare into Sasuke's full Sharingan as he slit his older brother's throat.

Sasuke and Sakura both found themselves snapping out of their respective daydreams when a familiar voice loudly broke into their thoughts. "Morning Sakura-chan!" Sasuke only rolled his eyes at his other teammate, wondering how he had the the patience to deal with these three idiots that called themselves his teammates. He watched in boredom as Sakura slammed her fist on top of the blond's head, sending him to the ground. It was just something else that was routine, though occasionally he did find himself wondering how hard the pink-haired kunoichi could actually hit. "Morning, bastard." The blond grunted out as he pulled himself up, only to be knocked back down for his remark. Sasuke had seen this scene, and so many similar to it, so often by now that it was no longer amusing.

Instead, he found himself wondering about his teammate. He was no longer the dead last that Sasuke once thought he was. While the boy was undisciplined, unintelligent, and overall a poor excuse for a shinobi, Sasuke couldn't help measuring the blond up from time to time. He still didn't know what happened after he passed out on the bridge, but seeing how both Kakashi-sensei and Naruto didn't seem to want to discuss it, he was forced to draw his own conclusions. And from those conclusions, it became clear that Naruto had beaten an opponent Sasuke could not, and that fact irritated him on a level he had trouble conceiving. From what he could tell, the boy had been growing rapidly since their graduation, and even before that, as Sasuke clearly remembered the strange jump in the blond's taijutsu skills from the years in the academy. When Naruto first started in the academy, he fought like a drunken bar brawler, all power, no defense and no delicate movements. By the time they had completed the bell test with Kakashi, Naruto's skill at taijutsu was still no match for Sasuke's, but Sasuke believed that Naruto could easily match anyone else in their class. 

_Not that he ever actually matched anyone. Damn idiot was holding back the whole time. _Sasuke had no proof, but he imagined that woman Anko had something to do with it. She had already admitted to teaching Naruto his signature jutsu, so Sasuke had no trouble believing that the scandalous woman had taken an interest in his hand to hand skills as well. Sasuke could honestly say that he disliked the woman. She was just... the complete opposite of what he imagined a woman should be. According to what he remembered of the female members of his clan, kunoichi were supposed to be subtle, skilled, quiet, and respectful of their male counterparts. 

It was one of the main reasons he couldn't stand his fan girls. They simply caused pain to his sensibilities. 

This... Mitarashi Anko... did the complete opposite, and seemed to take great enjoyment of shattering Sasuke's illusions of what a kunoichi should be. It still annoyed him that she was able to embarrass him so easily when she actually tried, and he still remembered the time the woman actually groped him in front of that idiot Inuzuka's team and sensei. He could still hear the mad cackling laughter of that damn mutt and even now still had to fight the blush from rising to his cheeks.

_Though, she apparently did teach the dope some good techniques... Then again, seeing how she's almost driven him into complete paranoia, perhaps there is a downside. _He also had a sneaking suspicion that she had taught the blond some chakra control tips, as during the mission to Wave, Naruto had been able to perform the tree walking exercise flawlessly on his first attempt, which still grated on Sasuke's nerves. The blond's outside 'tutoring' became apparent as Naruto's high control even perked Kakashi's interest. Naruto then revealed that he had known the tree walking and even water walking exercises for some time, the first being taught to him by Anko, the other by some other shinobi whose name Sasuke couldn't remember. _Why do they take such an interest in him? He's a nobody and an idiot. Tch, perhaps they are all birds of the same flock after all._

He snapped out of his musings as he watched the blond perk up, as if something caught his attention. Sasuke shared a look with Sakura, who seemed to notice the blond's odd behavior as well, before she asked, "Naruto, what is it?"

"Shhh." Naruto hissed out, holding up a hand for silence, his eyes seeming to squint, as if trying to perceive something far off. Sasuke watched in amusement as Sakura visibly fought to control herself at the boy's dismissal but turned his attention back to his teammate. It was just another one of those odd things that the two had learned about their teammate since graduation. Sasuke hated to admit it but Naruto's sense of smell and hearing were much stronger than either of theirs._Well, I'm sure I exceed him with the Sharingan now._ He thought smugly before Naruto perked up again, exchanged a confused look with his teammates, but one that seemed to echo in a sliver of excitement. "Someone is fighting near here... or training really hard."

Sakura blinked at that. "And we should care why?"

Sasuke already understood though. He wondered if he should be worried about understanding the nuances of what the idiot said when he spoke_. Though, it might mean that the fool is actually growing a brain. "_Where?" After all, Team Seven's meeting place was pretty far out of the way. It was rare for anyone to even come near their area, let alone train there, especially this early in the morning. It was worth taking a look.

Naruto frowned and Sasuke bit his cheek from saying something. "Not sure... but I think he, or they, I can't tell how many there are from here, are in that clearing where Kakashi got you during the bell test, bastard." Sasuke glared at his teammate for even daring to bring up one of the most humiliating experiences since becoming a genin. Naruto simply seemed to delight that he had gotten Sasuke to show anger before rising to his feet and walking in the direction he indicated. When he saw that neither of his teammates were following, he raised an eyebrow. "Not coming?"

"Idiot. Why bother? Besides, we need to wait for Kakashi-sensei." Sakura spoke, and Sasuke internally shook his head at the kunoichi's scathing tone. While he didn't particularly care how his teammates treated each other, for once the blond hadn't done, or said, anything worth getting annoyed over.

Naruto seemed to all but whine at this response. "Oh come on. It's not like our lazy-ass sensei will be coming any time soon. And this sounds really good!" Naruto then locked his eyes on Sasuke and grinned like a madman. "Come on, bastard. I know you're curious, 'specially since you gained your funky eyes, like sensei."

Sasuke actually blinked in surprise at that. _That's... actually a very good point. I would be able to learn any jutsu used if I go and watch... Funny, I always thought that the dead last would be resentful of my Sharingan._ Sasuke pushed off of the edge of the bridge that he had been leaning against before following after Naruto without another word. As he fell into step beside his teammate, he heard fast footsteps behind them and found Sakura latched onto his arm as she now walked with them. Sasuke only let out a sigh of irritation, allowing Naruto to lead on. _This better be worth it, Naruto._

-/-/-/

Naruto only rolled his eyes as he half-listened to Sakura-chan trying to get the bastard to go on a date with her. At one time he had thought the girl beautiful, and even held a large crush on her. After being on a team with her and having to be around her for extended periods of time, he wondered what the hell he had been thinking. Sure, she was pretty, but it was abundantly clear that she only held eyes for the bastard. For some reason, Naruto figured that this 'should' bother him, but after the events in Wave country, when he had watched Sasuke 'die' in front of him, he really couldn't bring himself to care about something seemingly so... trivial. He did worry about his ex-crush though. Despite having better control that Sasuke (as he did not truly know where his own control ranked. From what Anko had told him, since his chakra well was so big, it would be near impossible to compare his control to another person's easily) she was easily intimidated by others, despite the front she tried to put up. She held no confidence in her own skills, and didn't seem to really appreciate what being a shinobi meant. At least not until she had seen Sasuke's 'corpse'.

Their recovery period at Tazuna's after the first battle with Zabuza had been what had started him thinking about it, after nearly getting himself killed by the legendary swordsman. Granted, he and Sauske had been able to work out a plan quickly, involving a load of Kage bunshin, Zabuza's own overconfidence, and another of Anko's jutsu, but it had done the job of freeing Kakashi well enough. _Even if he did yell at us later when he woke up about it being crazy. Hey, crazy works. Look at psycho-bitch! _He hesitated mentioning his newfound revelation about Sakura to Kakashi-sensei. The man had given him a blank look for a long period of time before agreeing with Naruto. The man had then accused Naruto of being the same, to a point, and given him some food for thought. As much as Naruto hated to admit it, the one-eyed jounin had a point. Hell, if not for the sessions with Anko, which the insane woman called training and Naruto simply thought of 'periods of trying to stay alive while the psychopathic bitch chases you', he might have been just as bad as Sakura. He wondered if what had happened on the bridge would have gone differently had he not met the quasi-psychotic kunoichi. Would he have been beaten by Haku's ice mirrors? Would the apprentice of the Demon of the Mist have survived while Zabuza died by Kakashi's hand? 

Naruto shook his head. _No point in wondering about 'what ifs'. _He didn't remember much about what exactly he had done after he thought Sasuke was dead. He just remembered the feelings of helplessness at watching his friend... yes, the word 'friend' would fit, despite the bastard's attitude... die protecting him. First was grief, then burning hot rage, the likes of which he had never felt before. Hell, from what he remembered, even his chakra felt filled with red hot rage, capable of incinerating anyone who came close. When Naruto finally came back to himself, a kunai was in his hand, and the blade of said kunai was impaled into the neck of a revealed Haku, who was the face beneath the mask of the fake hunter-nin. He remembered falling back in shock and just staring at the corpse, his mind trying to put together what had just happened. After Zabuza's impalement by Kakashi's cool lightning jutsu which, now that he thought about it, Naruto was so going to pester the man into teaching him one day, Gatou and his thugs had shown up, only to be killed by a near-dead Zabuza in a display of bloody glory. Inari and the other Wave villagers had shown up afterwards. Naruto hadn't been paying attention to any of this, as he was still staring at the corpse of someone he thought he understood. Who, if things had been different, could have been Naruto's best friend.

When Kakashi came to check on him, he simply stared at the body before placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder and saying, "good work." That simple statement, that if used by his sensei at any other time would have granted Naruto a great deal of pride, caused the boy to begin vomiting. Darkness then took him and when he awoke, he was at Tazuna's home. It was only then that he found out Sasuke was alive. From what Kakashi told him later in private, neither Sasuke nor Sakura knew that he killed the shinobi from the bridge and Naruto found himself thankful for that. For what reason, he'd probably never know. It still didn't make it any easier, knowing that he killed someone. Kakashi had talked to him about it, but none of it really made sense to the blond at that point. It wasn't until he returned to Konoha two weeks later and spoke with Anko about it that the man's words sunk in.

It was one of the few times that he had been in the woman's apartment. The woman had been surprisingly reserved and patient as she listened to his story. He left nothing out, even mentioning completing the tree-climbing exercise and busting on Sasuke about it. She had listened quietly and with little to no expression on her face, but there was a quiet intensity there that even someone as dense as he could sense. After he finished, she remained silent for a few moments before reaching over and grabbing his shoulder. A grin the likes of which he had never seen on the woman's face then appeared, one that was filled with resignation.

"You're a shinobi now, Uzumaki Naruto."

In all the time he had known Mitarashi Anko, as an acquaintance, as someone who saved him from that mob way back when, as a mock-sensei, as a sadistic demoness from the bowels of the abyss who's favorite pastime was trying to feed him to human-devouring serpents, and even as a sometimes partner-in-crime for his pranks, she had never called him by his name even once.

Naruto shook his head, shaking away the thoughts. _When did I become such a moody person like Sasuke? _Naruto would never forget the conversation that followed and would never see the purple-haired kunoichi in the same light again. She had helped him through one of the hardest trials a genin can face, and although neither of them would ever realize it, had gained an ally for life.

Naruto suddenly stopped when he felt Sasuke grab his shoulder roughly. He glared at the Uchiha before raising an eyebrow. Prior to Wave, he probably would have snapped back with some sort of comment, but now he realized now that if the bastard had stopped him, there was probably a damn good reason. "What is it?"

The Uchiha scoffed, pointing in front of Naruto. "Look where you're going, dope. Besides, in case you haven't noticed due to your little daydream, we're here." Naruto scowled at the barb, before turning his eyes in front. It didn't take long for them to widen in shock as his eyes locked on a line of razor wire at his eye-level, less than a foot from his face. Grudgingly offering a muted thanks to the bastard, he took a step back before taking in the whole clearing itself. His eyes once again widened when he saw the lines of razor wire stretched taut across the clearing in mismatched patterns that resembles some crazy man's version of a spider web mixed with a mental patient's version of a cat's cradle. Lines of razor wire ran across the clearing, varying heights and directions. It was intimidating in itself, as that could be an excellent trap for stalling opponents if utilized correctly. 

No, what was more interesting to the genin watching was the fight that was taking place atop the razor wires. Naruto recognized him, but hadn't seen the man in quite some time. He had never really asked Anko how strong Nanashi was, but judging from the few hints she let slip when she had been helping him learn those wind jutsu, the man was good. Now, as Naruto and his teammates watched the man fend off a series of what had to be Kage Bunshin, fighting within the field of wires capable of taking someone's head off with ease, he had to rethink his view of this man.

The man wasn't just good. He was absolutely incredible.

The three genin watched in silence as the group of clones converged on what they had to assume was their creator, ducking and jumping to avoid the sharp edges of the wires strewn in every which way. Not only that, but all of the people in the clearing who shared the same visage were able to land and fight while standing on the wires themselves, sometimes even upside down, and Naruto didn't even want to know how much control such a feat must have taken, without causing yourself damage, let alone having one's Kage Bunshin do so with what seemed like instinct.

Nanashi fought as if he were dancing from wire to wire, lowering his head or bending sideways as he moved, never staying in the same position for too long, lest one of his own clones get the drop on him. A roundhouse kick to a clone here, a spinning hook kick to another clone there, then followed by a vicious fist-elbow combination that struck another clone that had closed the gap, before leaping away to another wire, his remaining clones in pursuit. Without performing a single hand seal, the man leapt upwards before tapping a wire with a kunai in his right hand. "Raiton: Current Drop." The electricity was actually visible to the genin's eyes as it flowing from the man's right hand, through the kunai and into the wire that several clones were perched on. Almost at the exact same time, three distinct things happened. The kunai in the man's hand seemed to all but melt from the chakra running through it, the kage bushin on that wire were dispersed in a flare of electric death, and the mystery shinobi had already flipped to another wire, using his upward momentum from his initial jump as well as pushing off with his kunai against his target wire when he activated his jutsu.

With a wave of his left hand, a shield of wind seemed to form, deflecting a pair of shuriken thrown by yet another clone. Yet it proved to be only a distraction as a new clone appeared behind the man, a kunai in its hand and already being drawn across his neck, with no regards as to what would happen to their owner. Sakura gasped in horror as the man seemed to gurgle on his own blood flowing freely from his throat before the man dissolved into a puddle of water, causing the pink-haired girl to let out a sigh of relief. The clone was not as lucky, a kunai being lodged into the back of its head from the true shinobi, dispersing the clone before throwing the kunai at the clone that had given its brethren the distraction it had needed. 

Another clone took a blow to the temple from a punch from its creator, only instead of vanishing in the nature clones do when dispelled, being replaced by a log covered with explosive tags. The genin watched in disbelief as the man didn't even bother to move away. Instead, he kicked the log away with a thrust kick, and then leapt as far back as he could while still avoiding wires. The log struck a wire and between the sharpness of the razor wire and the power of the kick behind the log's flight, the impact sliced the explosive-covered piece of wood into two halves before falling to the ground beneath the remaining clones. Clones that were promptly destroyed when the log halves exploded in a blaze of burning glory.

As the smoke cleared and it was revealed that not only were none of the clones still around, but also that their creator didn't even seem to be breathing hard. The three genin couldn't help but voice their combined opinion, "Holy shit." Team seven watched as the man turned his eyes on them and all three were mildly annoyed to see yet another shinobi with a mask over his face, not that Naruto had been expecting anything else. Even when Naruto had visited the unconscious man in the hospital about a year ago, the man had been wearing that mask.

Nanashi only raised an eye at seeing Naruto and his teammates_. Well, now isn't this interesting? _The man merely smirked beneath his mask, ignoring the shiver that it sent to the genin, who were now very well versed in reading the expressions of someone who wore a mask, and had learned that the one they were seeing now never ended well. "It's been a while, kid."

Naruto hesitated for only a moment before grinning back, ignoring the confused looks on his teammates' faces. "Damn straight!"

-/-/-/

Nanashi only chuckled at his younger-self's onslaught of questions as the small group wandered back to team seven's meeting place. Nanashi knew fully well that Kakashi wouldn't be along for a while, and he had to admit that it was amusing to watch Naruto as the boy excitedly began to talk. Sakura and Sasuke seemed mildly interested in his presence, but not enough to actually try and hold a conversation with him. Not that Sasuke would start a conversation unless his life depended on it.

Nanashi only allowed himself a brief look at the one who would later become the bane of his existence. He really shouldn't have been surprised at how well Sasuke matched the one of his pre-war days; it was his pre-war days, after all. Sasuke met his eyes during this inspection and flinched, causing Nanashi to internally smirk as he turned his attention back to Naruto, only now aware of the small amount of killing intent that he had manifested against the Uchiha. "So, kid. You master those jutsu I left you?"

Naruto only gave him a shit-eating grin and responded in the way that anyone who knew the young orphan would expect. "Hell yeah! I had them down in no time."

Nanashi only shook his head, a small grin beneath his mask. _I wonder if that is the way I would have reacted if anyone had taught me a jutsu when I was that young... Wait, that is me, so of course I would have. Damn time paradoxes..._ "You talk a big game. Rather than that, show me, kid."

Naruto smirked at the challenge before walking a distance away from the group. When he turned around, his hands were already going through hand seals at a fast pace. They finally locked in place and Nanashi couldn't help but be impressed by the drafts already being sucked into the boy's jutsu. "Fuuton: Kaze no Tate!" The boy was immediately surrounding by a gust of wind, pulling the leaves off of the nearby trees into a rising column that surrounded the boy. Nanashi saw this, as well as the surprised expressions of the other members of team seven. _So he hasn't shown them this yet? Perhaps he was keeping it as a secret. Oh well, either way, it's time to test it out._ Then, without any warning, the elder blond pulled out a brace of shuriken and threw them faster than any of the genin could follow. The shuriken impacted against the wind column, fighting the air currents for only a moment before being thrown off course, finally striking the ground and trees to the sides of his target.

"Hey, what the hell?" Naruto yelled as he disabled the jutsu, glaring at Nanashi at the sudden attack.

Nanashi merely held up a hand. "Maa, it's the only way to make sure you've got it down. Good work, kid." He then pointed to one of the area's training posts that one of his shuriken had sunk into before continuing, "Now show me the other."

Naruto lost his glare, instead letting another grin out at the thought of showing off to his teammates even further. He had never had the chance to really use these jutsu before, so although he enjoyed their shocked faces (and slightly bitter in the bastard's case), he couldn't blame them for not knowing about his jutsu. He only smirked as he ran towards the indicated target, already snapping through the hand seals before thrusting his right hand out in an open strike a few feet from the post. "Fuuton: Wind Backlash!" Naruto only watched in satisfaction as the wind he had been gathered as he prepped the technique lashed out in the direction of his right hand with intense force. He could feel the wind lashing around his arm before continuing forward to strike the training post. At first it looked as if the post would weather his storm, but then the post itself was uprooted from the ground itself before flying away from the genin. Naruto only smirked before looking over his shoulder, "how about that?"

Nanashi couldn't have been more pleased. _Two Chuunin level skills, enforced with enough power to make them highly formidable. Hell, the Wind Backlash is meant to be a simple distraction and beginner-level wind manipulation skill, and the kid turned it into a decent attack. Granted, he is overloading the technique for that effect, but it makes sense to do so. _He clapped his hands together a few times, his eyes crinkling into a smile. "Not bad, kid! Not bad at all! Looks like you have those two master-" Nanashi didn't bother to think and simply reacted, cutting off his praise for, oddly, himself. He had not sensed any sort of killing intent, so he was not worried for his safety or the safety of team seven. _Not that this level of attack is enough to actually hurt me. Obviously a distraction then..._ He shifted his weight enough to the right that the thrown kunai passed right by him, sticking into the ground with enough force to sink deep enough for the ground to meet the ring ends of the throwing weapons. He immediately took a step forward, spinning his body and raising his right arm to meet the kick that was already on its way. He took the blow on his forearm and couldn't help but smirk beneath his mask as his opponent burst into a puddle of mud, already being dispelled from the counter that Nanashi had sunk into its sternum._Figures..._

As if reading his mind, the sound of a disembodied chuckle reached his ears. One that he had long since learned to associate with her. He was already moving once again before Sakura's shout of warning even reached his ears, ducking slightly as he spun, allowing the woman's arm thrust to pass harmlessly over his shoulder before latching on and twisting the attacking kunoichi over his shoulder. Anko slammed into the ground on her back hard, visibly knocking the wind out of her before Nanashi placed his foot a few inches from her throat, her arm still in his grasp. "Must we do this every time, Anko?" He grinned beneath his mask again, ignoring the flabbergasted looks on the genin faces, as he added another barb to his taunt. "You sure have a strange way of saying hello."

"Bastard!"

He chuckled at the glare the purple-haired kunoichi leveled on him. If he had been a lesser man, he would have already started running, but he couldn't help himself. After a year, give or take a few months, of traveling and training, he could honestly say that her irritation amused him just as much as it did the last time they met. "I've missed that eloquent wit of yours during my trip. Do you have any idea how dull dealing with missing-nin is? Or Kumo-nin for that matter? No sense of humor, I say." He paused for a moment before adding, "you're still one crazy bitch. You know that, right?"

While Sasuke and Sakura were watching this scene with astonished looks, as even Kakashi had seemed wary of dealing with Anko, and he was a well-known jounin, Naruto merely looked like the cat of the Fire Lord's wife after escaping from its owner's grasp. _Yes! Finally, some payback against the psycho! _He watched their exchange in silence, but couldn't help but allow himself a mad grin. _Blackmail material against psycho-bitch! _He had a sneaking suspicion that he was going to find the upcoming conversation very amusing.

Anko merely grinned and ceased her resistance. _One day I'll beat this fucker. Who would've thought that by doing my weekly traumatizing routine on Kakashi's brats that I'd run across him?_ "Bah, you know you wouldn't want it any other way, Nameless wonder."

Nanashi closed his eyes and nodded once, as if agreeing with her. He then cracked open a single eye and raised said eyebrow as he spoke. "A simple hello and perhaps an invitation for a drink would also be acceptable."

"Oi, oi. It's supposed to be the man who offers to buy the lady a drink, shit stain. Then again, you do act like a little bitch most of the time."

"With the way you drink? Hell no!" A pause. "And aren't you, as a kunoichi, supposed to be against that sort of stereotype?"

"Fuck you, and I don't give a shit about that nonsense unless it works in my favor. I let Kurenai deal with that kunoichi-pride bullshit."

"Flexible pride, and flexible morals; a true shinobi, you are."

"One better than you'll ever be."

"Yet, I am the one in the advantageous position here."

Anko only rolled her eyes, as if the foot that was still poised above her throat wasn't a threat. "Please. You know that I'm only still in this position so as to allow you to check out my beauty and feminine perfection."

Nanashi didn't hesitate in his response; a pause to think usually resulted in the end of one of these little games. He couldn't help but allow the thought to pass through his mind though. _Was that a flirting comment? No, it's Anko. She is just being herself._ "I would say I'm awed by your modesty, except for the fact that you're still wearing that exhibitionist getup. Are you just not making enough working for the Torture and Interrogation department? I'm sure we could work something out with Hokage-sama if you need cash."

She only met his expression of disbelief with a sultry expression. "Come now, you aren't saying that you don't approve, are you? You'd be the only guy in the village who openly thinks so?" A brief pause. "Are you gay or something?"

"You realize that you are including man-sluts like Genma and perverts like Kakashi as part of that set of people. It throws your whole sample set off." Naruto grinned at the long pause after his comment. _Game, set, match._

Anko only twitched at that comment, not having a witty response prepared. "I'm so going to cut off your balls..."

"And this other obsession of yours, with my testicles. Anko, I understand if you are embarrassed by my aura of sheer manliness, but if you want a date, you have to ask nicely." _Ah, there's the twitching eyebrow... and here comes the killing intent._

There was a long stagnant pause and the three genin, even Naruto, began sweating at the rising killing intent that was solidifying in the area. Finally, Anko growled out a question, her voice no longer trying to be playful or clever and now simply implied future violence. "How come I get the overwhelming urge to beat the shit out of you every time I talk to you?"

Nanashi only scoffed, releasing the woman's arm and taking a step back as he removed his foot from her throat. "Must be my charming personality." He held out a hand and she only hesitated for a moment before taking it and being pulled to her feet. He watched in idle amusement as her face twisted into a pout as she brushed some non-existent dirt off herself. 

Her pout didn't fade as she spoke, "One day I'll kick your ass, Nameless wonder."

He only grabbed his chin, nodding as if he agreed with her. "Well, it is good to have goals." He ignored the new twitch from the serpentine kunoichi before looking back to the dumbfounded team seven. "The hell are you looking at?"

Sakura only looked between Nanashi and Anko before turning to Naruto, raising her eyebrow in the process. "Naruto, do you actually know any normal people?"

"Psh, where's the fun in that?" Naruto response was tinged with amusement, his large grin betraying his views on the show.

"I resent that cotton candy! Don't make me bring out those cobras that were so fond of you and your little boyfriend." Anko snarled, turning a glare on the girl. Sakura squeaked and even took a few steps back, holding up her hands as if to ward off Anko's slithery little friends.

Nanashi raised an eyebrow but didn't respond to Anko's comment, though he had to admit that he was curious. "Besides, being 'normal' is so boring, Haruno-san. After all, I can't imagine life without the voices in my head..." Even Anko turned her head at that comment and he couldn't help but chuckle. "Just screwing with you." A slight pause, "Or am I?"

Sakura only blinked before asking, "You know who I am?"

Nanashi only gave a nod. "I know everything. Well, not really, but enough to probably creep you out." Sakura looked like she was about to say something but Nanashi only held up his hand, cutting her off. "Trust me, Haruno-san, Uchiha, you're better off not knowing."

Naruto only grinned before speaking up, as if seeing Nanashi in a new light. "Whatever you say, Nanashi-san. Though, I never thought I'd see someone take the crazy bitch down a peg."

"Brat!" Anko glared at the boy before reaching for a kunai and throwing it at him half-heartedly. Of course, half-heartedly for someone like Anko was pretty damn deadly for a genin and Naruto glared back as he raised his hand to cover the deep scratch that the kunai had made against his cheek.

Nanashi only chuckled, taking his original seat against a tree before speaking up, "I'm a man of many talents, kid. Though, from what you showed me earlier, you're on your way as well."

Naruto only rolled his eyes. "Psh, those ones were easy. I had them down in a few weeks after I finished the water walking thingie you taught me. The ones psycho-bitch taught me were tons better!"

Nanashi only considered this before slowly turning his head to look at Anko with a wary expression beneath his mask. "Is that so?"

_Did she just blush?_ Nanashi wondered silently as Anko seemed to scratch the back of her head with a sheepish grin. "Long story. I'll tell ya over drinks later. But I've taught the kid a few tricks, so to speak."

"Check this one out!" The younger blond seemed beside himself as his fingers formed into a single seal. One that Nanashi was far too familiar with. He looked on in surprise as the boy shouted out, "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" A trio of shadow clones popped into existence behind the boy, all of them holding their hands in the same seal as their creator. Four identical grins shot back at the elder blond. "What do you think?"

Nanashi only blinked a few times, a loss for words appearing. _Wait, Anko taught him that? Does that mean... Oh crap, he never stole the forbidden scroll, did he? Does that mean he doesn't know about the fox?_ He noticed that everyone was watching him and forced his thoughts away, determined to have a chat with the Sandaime later about what else might have changed from what he remembered. He turned to Anko and raised an eyebrow. "Kage bunshin? You taught a genin a kinjutsu?"

Anko only grinned, the sliver of pride that she allowed herself for being able to teach an idiot like Naruto a kinjutsu in only a matter of hours. Even the Sandaime had praised her for it, after yelling at her for teaching a kinjutsu to an academy student. _Tch, with the fox in him, I doubt it'll ever cause him problems anyway._"Actually, I taught him that one when he was still in the academy. Kid used it to pass the genin exams. Apparently scared the piss out of that sensei of his." She looked to nod off in thought for a moment before her lips twisted into a sadistic grin. "Such a fun man to tease."

The four Narutos all pointed at her in unison, speaking in one loud voice. "Damn psycho! Leave Iruka-sensei alone!"

Nanashi looked at her for a moment before chuckling. "I suppose I should say something about the recklessness of teaching a child that, but he can probably handle that one without hurting himself too bad." Anko's face turned away at that comment and Nanashi felt a cold shiver go down his spine. "Anko, what did you do?" His tone betrayed the nervousness that her reaction was provoking.

Naruto only grinned, highly enjoying the discomfort on his sometime sensei's face. With a simple mental command, the three clones behind him scattered into the distance before exploding in a burst of chakra enhanced flames, the sound echoing in the clearing as the others instinctively dove for cover. He looked over his shoulder and grimaced when he saw exactly how much damage he had done. When he turned back, he was met by three glares and one shocked pair of blue eyes. "Eh heh heh... maybe that was a bit too much chakra?"

Nanashi only blinked a few more times. _Bunshin Daibakuha? How? As far as I know, only Itachi used that jutsu before I figured it out. Even then, the feedback hurts like a bitch._ "Anko, you..." Anko visibly flinched at the man's tone as he seemed to struggle to find words. "You taught someone who wasn't even a genin yet THAT jutsu? Are you completely insane?" He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm himself. His earlier thought then struck him again, "How the hell do you even know that jutsu? Last time I checked, the only person who uses that, besides me, went rogue a long time ago."

The visibly worried expression shifted so fast that Nanashi had to blink to make sure he wasn't imagining the mad grin on the woman's face. "I saw weasel-boy do it once on a mission when I was still in the mask corps. Been trying to reverse engineer it ever since. Only got it down a few months ago." She paused before smirking, "and he had already been a genin for a few months when I taught him that. You should've saw that prick Kakashi's face, er, eyes. Looked like he was going to shit himself."

"And it worked well enough on that eyebrow-less freak Zabuza! He never expected me to go kamikaze on him. Off course, it was just a henged clone but he didn't know that." Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances before a smug smirk appeared on both of their faces. It had been the only time the two of them had really cooperated on anything. _Makes all of Kakashi-sensei's lectures on teamwork mean a little more, doesn't it? _Naruto only grinned before turning back to the two special jounin.

"I still can't believe you taught it to a kid." Disbelief was clear in his voice, and Nanashi was glad to see that from Sasuke and Sakura's expressions, he wasn't the only one who thought that Anko had done something incredibly stupid. He watched as the woman lowered her head and mumbled something. "Come again?"

"The little shit blackmailed me." Her voice came out in a pout as she leveled a glare on the younger blond, who only smiled back as if she were an old friend.

Nanashi only blinked before turning a gaze on the younger blond who was smiling in glee. Without turning his gaze from the boy, he asked, "Do I even want to know what may constitute blackmail against YOU of all people?" He only sighs before holding up a hand to stop Naruto from talking. "Whatever. Kid, just be careful with that one. In fact, don't use it unless you have to. The feedback is a bitch."

"I already gave the kid the lecture. And how I would do very nasty things to him if he didn't follow my rules." Anko said, a grin on her face as she watched three genin and one special jounin shudder in repressed fear.

Nanashi finally stretched his arms over his head, idly wondering when the hell team seven's lazy-ass sensei was going to show. _Eh, whatever._ He looked back to Naruto and gave an appreciative nod. "Anyway, good work on learning those without killing yourself. Maybe I should hunt down a few more for ya..." He noticed the eager gleam in both boys' eyes, and mentally made a note to start keeping watch on Sasuke. Sakura only looked annoyed at being ignored in favor of Naruto again. Anko seemed just as eager as the boys, and even... predatory. _Creepy..._Nanashi chuckled at the boys' eager expressions but then shook his head. "Then again, I probably shouldn't. I don't want Kakashi accusing me of stealing his student." He caught Anko's eye but only for a moment. He cursed himself for doing so. _Damn it... now she's going to be curious._

"Ano... Nanashi-san?" All eyes turned to Sakura and the girl blushed slightly before asking, "How do you know Naruto? He told us that Anko-san was helping him learn a few jutsu, but how did you meet him?"

Nanashi looked at her thoughtfully. _Leave it to Sakura to be the inquisitive one. _"Eh, we share a love of ramen. He lives in my apartment building as well. Well, when I'm in the village at least." He scratched his chin beneath his mask before continuing, "I told him the basics of water walking before I went on a training trip, and made a bet that if he could learn it that I'd teach him a few jutsu. He didn't actually master the skill before I left, but from what I was told, he was close enough to warrant me leaving him a scroll."

"So you're a ninjutsu specialist?" This question was the first direct question from the Uchiha. 

Nanashi merely stared at him, eyes blank and ignoring the odd looks he was receiving. Finally he spoke, the friendly tone gone and replaced by one that Anko recognized to be similar to the one he used when speaking to the council that day. "Actually, my specialty lies... elsewhere, but I am quite good when it comes to ninjutsu."

Anko only smirked at that comment, prompting confused looks from the genin. "'Quite good' my fishnet wearing ass!"

"You wear fishnet on your ass?" There was a quick slap that sent Naruto the ground, Anko not even looking at his destruction.

"Shut up, brat." She then grinned at Nanashi, "You weren't this humble before you left, Nameless wonder. Make the little brats shit themselves."

Nanashi looked back to the somewhat insane woman with a grin. "That a challenge, psycho?"

"First round of drinks if you can impress all three genin, me AND it isn't a jutsu I've seen before." She offered, a saccharine smile on her face.

Nanashi snorted as he rolled his eyes, "If you're trying to mooch more jutsu off me, you could just ask. I take it that you somehow convinced the kid to let you see that scroll? I bet you never even finished with the scroll I gave you."

She only smirked. "Of course. After all, I had to make sure it was worth the brat's time." She paused for a moment before glaring at him, her mood change sudden. "And I so did finish with that scroll." Her lips curled into a thin smirk as he hands formed the first seal in a sequence that Nanashi knew well. "Want to see, shitstain?"

He only chuckled in response. "I'll pass. Besides, I don't think Kakashi would appreciate you blowing up his students. Right, Copycat?" Nanashi looked over his shoulder with a smirk, having finally sensed the man's approach. The genin blinked as they followed his gaze to stare at their sensei, who was walking towards them lazily, usual book in hand.

There was only a slight pause before both Sakura and Naruto yelled, pointing at the man simultaneously. "You're late!"

Kakashi nodded, not even bothering to look away from his ever-present copy of Icha Icha. "Well, there was a puppy that was stuck in a garbage can. I had to dig the poor thing out and bring it to the vet."

"Liar!"

Kakashi only grinned, his eye curving into a crescent shape before he took notice of the unusual guests. "Ah, Anko-san. Nanashi-san. I didn't realize you had returned, Nanashi-san."

Nanashi only shrugged. "Only got back this morning. Your students stumbled upon one of my training routines. You might want to keep a close watch on them if any of them pick up some razor wire in the future. I don't want to be blamed for some genin cutting himself to ribbons because of what they saw."

"From what I've heard of your training routines, even some chuunin would need trips to the hospital." Kakashi deadpanned. 

Nanashi shrugged, seeing no reason to defend himself, or his methods. An enlightened look came to his eyes as he snapped his fingers. "Ah!" Those present watched in confusion as the man reached into one of the inner pockets of his trenchcoat and removed a familiar book that caused the genin to pale and lose whatever respect they may have had for the Fuinjutsu master previously. "Ran across the author. Picked up an autographed copy for ya." He tossed the book to Kakashi who caught it with what could only be described as perverted glee.

The man simply giggled as he replaced his book with the new and improved version. "I owe you one then."

Nanashi smirked. "I'll hold you to that, perverted bastard."

"Okay guys, let's go. Hokage-sama's got a mission lined up for us." Kakashi drawled to his team, not removing his eye from the book in his hands. The man didn't acknowledge Nanashi's words, but did tuck his older book into his vest pocket as he led the genin away. Only Naruto waved goodbye to the two special jounin, the other two simply following Kakashi.

Once the genin were finally gone, Anko turned to Nanashi. With a raised eyebrow, she asked "So what's the real reason that you didn't want to show those kids any jutsu?"

He shrugged before speaking, "Because of the Uchiha." Seeing her confused expression, he elaborated, "Uchiha are known for mental instability. I'd rather not contribute to that if I can help it. Kami knows that Konoha doesn't need another insane Uchiha." It wasn't true, but it was convincing enough for Anko to accept. "So how have things been? Anything interesting go on while I was gone?"

Anko accepted the topic change in stride. "Fucking boring as hell, other than the brat, actually. Man, have I got stories." She cracked her neck to the side before giving him a very odd grin, with a gleam in her eyes that seemed almost predatory. "For now though, you up for a real spar? Both toothpick and 'Nai-chan are on missions and you're the only other one in the village with a set of balls."

"I'm sure Kurenai-san would be flattered by your assumption about her genitalia." The words left his mouth in a dry tone before he could even think about what he was saying. Afterwards, they sunk in and caused him to shiver uncontrollably. _Bad mental image. Get it out. Get it out!_

The woman only chuckled before speaking again, "Aw, shaddup and fight, fuckface." Nanashi only chuckled before the two jumped away from each other, each setting themselves into an attack stance. 

Thus began the true reunion of two of Konoha's most troublesome special jounin.

-/-/-/

Nanashi sighed in relief as he pulled off another drag of his smoke. He and Anko were lying on their backs, relaxing as the clouds drifted by. "That shit will kill ya."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Meh, you really think either of us will long enough for it to really be an issue?"

"Point taken. So, what's the damage?"

"You need to work on chaining your ninjutsu in better when you go short range. You have a tendency to restrict yourself from using elemental techniques when you're in arms reach, instead insisting on either hand to hand directly or your serpents. You need to work on your inner guard too. You also get frustrated too easily. But I can't say shit about that because I can be the same way sometimes."

Anko only frowned, also staring at the sky while she attempted to hide the worst of her injuries from her far too observant comrade. "Nice move with the short grapple, but you still telegraph your ninjutsu. At least mix it up and throw some Katon and Doton into the mix. Or do you simply not know any?" She threw out the barb with a slight grin as she turned in his direction. "Though that was a kick ass move when you combined those Raiton and Suiton techniques."

Nanashi chuckled at that. _It seems that Ero-sennin's routines still work._ "I have bad memories of Katon jutsu and I don't really know any useful Doton." He took another drag and exhaled slowly, watching the smoke float into the air above him. "You still have one hell of a right hook, you know that?"

"Aw, you know just what to say to a girl." Anko said in slight amusement before her grin faded, wincing slightly as she could feel a nasty bruise forming where he had struck her in the kidney. "Damn, feels like you broke my damn ribs."

"I figured you liked it rough."

"Fuck you."

"Is that an offer?" Nanashi deadpanned, fighting to not let his amusement show. He was rewarded by a hard dig on his shoulder and he couldn't help but wince. "Fine, fine." He paused for a moment before turning his head to meet her gaze. "You know, you really have improved."

She snarled at him, "You've got balls saying that when I can barely touch you now."

"Hey, I'm trying to be serious here. It seems the theory I had about that detestable seal was right. It stunted your growth and now that it's gone, hell, I bet you could give Kakashi a run for his Icha Icha."

Anko remained silent at that, considering the man's words. _He does have a point. I didn't really start seeing the sort of drastic jumps until after he pulled that seal off me. I guess I just didn't notice it until I did actual training and not just missions. Hell, I haven't seen jumps like that since... _"Just what the hell did you do? No one grows that much in just a year." The question was honest and he could tell that she was really curious about it. 

He didn't mind telling her about it, as it wasn't like it was a big secret. He removed the cigarette from his mouth and put it out on his wrist, ignoring the disgusted wince that Anko wore on her face as he did so. He flicked away the cigarette carelessly before answering, "Kage Bunshin no jutsu."

"What?"

"One of the secrets of the Yondaime Hokage's strength. Everything a shadow clone does or learns is returned to the user when it dispels. Technically, it's possible to get in a day's worth of training in an hour if your summon enough clones. Of course, it doesn't work for purely physical conditioning, but for working on reflexes, as well as refining and developing ninjutsu or other chakra techniques, it can't be beat." He paused for a moment, becoming somewhat disturbed by the look in her eyes. "Though most people probably couldn't handle it. It takes a significant amount of chakra to do in itself, and then the mental feedback can send you into a coma if you're not prepared for it."

Anko sat up at that, looking at him with a visage of disbelief. "You've got to be shitting me. You did that for a full year?"

He shrugged, not seeing it worth sitting up. "Not all the time. I was running errands for old man Hokage while I was out there as well. Actually trained for about a month in Kumo while running a messenger gig for the Sandaime." He paused, thinking of the best way to describe his methods before letting out a sigh. "Besides, when you're out there on your own, with no missions and nothing to do, coming up with unique ways of pushing yourself to your limit becomes a sort of masochistic pleasure."

Anko looked as if she was about to ask him something else but the arrival of a new pair caught both special jounin's attention. Anko raised a hand in greeting to the two, but didn't say much. "Hey, toothpick, disease-boy."

"We do have names, Anko." Genma deadpanned, before his eyes traveled to the one laying on the ground next to her. "Well, well, well. I'll be damned. When the hell did you get back?"

Nanashi raised his legs up before flipping to his feet in a quick movement. He deliberately did not look at the kenjutsu specialist as he answered, "Sometime this morning."

Hayate coughed once before grinning that sickly grin of his. He looked just as pale as Nanashi remembered, and he couldn't help but wonder just what Hayate had, or if it was some sort of genetic thing. "'Bout time. No one has been able to keep Anko-san under control since you left."

"I resent that! You make me sound like some sort of out of control whack job." 

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... You guys suck balls."

It was then that Hayate asked another question, his eyebrow quirking upwards, "Nanashi, what happened to that sword I gave you?"

To his credit, the Fuinjutsu master didn't flinch, or even look bothered by the question at first. His smile, revealed to the world as he had removed his mask for his smoke, didn't shift in the slightest. It was only after a moment that the other three noticed the tensing of the man's legs as he raised a hand to rub the back of his head in what could only be embarrassment. "Heh, heh... Funny you should ask..."

Anko couldn't help but grin sadistically at the man's rising discomfort, especially as Hayate's eyes narrowed. "Nanashi, where is the sword?"

The man held out his hands, as if trying to stop predictable violence. "It's a funny story, really... I swear!" There was a long period of silence in which Nanashi seemed really nervous and Hayate's aura seemed to darken further. Finally, the blond bolted, a wisp of leaves and wind in his wake. Hayate didn't even hesitate, disappearing in a shunshin of his own, already in pursuit of the fleeing Nanashi. Anko couldn't help herself and didn't even bother to try to stop the bout of disturbing laughter that burst out of her mouth at the spectacle. 

Genma merely watched his friend chase down the blond with a hint of amusement on his face. He shifted his senbon to the other side of his mouth before exchanging a look with the serpentine kunoichi. "Damn, and things were so quiet around here for once."

-/-/-/

"Ah, that hit the spot!" Naruto only smiled as the ramen stand owner chuckled at his compliment, but then again perhaps the fact that Naruto came there so often was a better one. _Then again, old man Ichiraku probably doesn't realize that he's one of the few people who'll serve me. Oh well, doesn't make the ramen taste any worse._ He was about to ask for another bowl of miso when someone settled into the seat next to him. It was smooth enough that he didn't even sense the man sit down before he spoke up, actually causing Naruto to jump.

"I'll take a bowl of miso, and put the kid's meal on my tab." Naruto blinked at Nanashi's offer before grinning a devilish smile that would send children running. Nanashi had to fight the urge to chuckle at the mischievous expression and he couldn't help but compare it to the woman who he had spent the afternoon sparring with. _Perhaps Konoha's snake mistress is rubbing off on him more than he thinks._"Hey kid."

The ramen stand owner looked confused for a moment before rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Bowl of miso, coming up. But you sure you want to pay for Naruto's meal, here? Not sure if you know what you're getting into, shinobi-san."

"Hey!"

Nanashi only chuckled as he saw the cook's own grin at his younger self's outburst. "Yeah, don't worry. My wallet can handle his appetite."

"Your funeral pal." The cook said amusedly before turning back to his biggest customer. "So, what'll it be, Naruto?"

"Same as him." The man nodded before going off to prepare, what Naruto considered anyway, the meal of the kami. Naruto turned his seat to Nanashi with a grin. "So where have you been? Psycho-bitch said you were on a mission or something."

Nanashi only shrugged. "I took a little training trip. Travelled around running errands for old man Hokage while I was at it."

Naruto's eyes lit up in interest before asking, "So, where did you go?"

The ensuing conversation between bowls of ramen was the censored version of what Nanashi had done for the last year. He didn't mind talking about his training methods, or his techniques to the kid, but he did take care to avoid mentioning exactly what he was doing for the Sandaime. _Not that he'll even notice. I had a horrible case of tunnel vision when it came to ninja life back then._ The conversation eventually slipped back to Naruto and how he liked being a genin. Nanashi only chuckled when appropriate as Naruto complained about Kakashi being a lazy sensei, as well as Naruto's unique relationship with Anko. _Heh, who would've thought that by giving her that scroll that this could've happened. I doubt he even knows about Kyuubi. _

As Naruto finished up telling the climax of his mission to Wave, Nanashi nodded, finally coming to a decision. _I'll probably get flack from a bunch of people, but then again, it's not like I really give a shit. It'll only help in the long run, especially if things still end up going to hell in a hand-basket. I should talk to old man Hokage about telling him about Kyuubi. He should know, especially if Kakashi-sensei still enters them in the exams._ He didn't say anything as the two of them finished up their meals and Nanashi paid for both of them before following Naruto out. The two walked back towards their mutual apartment building, Naruto pestering him for another jutsu the entire way. Finally, when they reached the building, Nanashi placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Kid, there is something I want to discuss with you. Come to my place." Naruto looked confused but nodded, albeit hesitantly. Nanashi didn't have to try to puzzle that reaction out. _He's suspicious. He probably should be, all things considered. No one ever invited me into their home before, at least for 'me'. Maybe that's changed this time around?_

When they entered Nanashi's apartment, the older blond closed the door behind them before looking to his counterpart. "Water?"

"Sure..."

"Take a seat; make yourself comfortable." As Nanashi walked towards his kitchen, he watched Naruto take a seat on the couch, an odd expression present on the boy's face. When Nanashi returned, he handed the boy a cup of water before grabbing a chair and bringing it around so that he could face Naruto. "So, I bet you're wondering what the heck I wanted to talk about, right?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow and answered with a cynical tone that the boy must have picked up from Anko, as Nanashi could never remember being such a smart-ass_. I was more of an annoying stupid brat_. "Gee, ya think?"

"Smart-ass..." Nanashi paused for a moment before speaking up, trying to find the right words. "Naruto, I wanted to make you an offer."

"Offer?"

"... Before I left for my training trip, I had considered taking you on as my apprentice once you graduated the academy." He held up a hand, forestalling the boy's shout, "obviously, however, I did not return in time in order to put forth that request to the Sandaime. Even then, I am not sure if the prospect would have been accepted. Apprenticeship in itself is rather rare, and... well, that's not important."

"Wait, so what does that mean?"

"It means that, in essence, I would be providing one on one training to you, rather than you being on team seven with your squad-mates and Kakashi. The number of missions you would go on, as well as their level, would be left to my discretion, and a bunch of other bureaucratic red tape that you don't really need to worry about." Nanashi let out a sigh at the boy's expression of wonderment. "Though in all, it might be for the best, this way."

Naruto's expression leveled, a thoughtful look coming to the boy's face. "Why?"

Nanashi shrugged. "All shinobi tend to work in teams on missions. It's good for you to get used to that while you're still young, before you form a lone wolf mentality. Besides, Kakashi may be a lazy bastard when it comes to teaching, but you can't ask for a better squad leader."

"Oh." Naruto took a sip of water, considering the man's points. _Well, I guess that's true. He was able to protect us from Zabuza and did show us some of what he can really do when we were in Wave_... A thought came to Naruto, remembering what his host had said before. "So... what's this offer you mentioned?"

There was a long period of silence before the man answered. "I know that Kakashi probably isn't training you as well as he should be, but it's not my place to really say anything. I have no intentions of replacing him as your sensei but I was wondering if you would like some one-to-one tutoring, in a sense. My assessment of you hasn't changed from that time I showed you the water walking skill, Naruto. I think you have enormous potential and would like to help you harness that."

Naruto's face lit up with a grin that could've blinded someone. "Hell yeah! Oh, you're so on, Nanashi-san!"

Nanashi only shook his head, mildly amused. "Just Nanashi, kid." His eyes went serious before he spoke up again, "I'm not gonna lie, Naruto. If you want me to train you on the side, it will be difficult. Anko said that she put you through the paces when she got bored, but I assure you that will be nothing compared to what I put you through."

Naruto flinched visibly at that, obviously recalling some of his experiences with the purple-haired special jounin. After a few moments, the blond spoke up. "If I accept, what will you teach me?"

_A good question,_ Nanashi thought to himself, raising his hand to his masked face to think. _I won't be able to teach him any complicated Fuinjutsu for the time being, but I suppose I could work with him on the basics of tag making and chakra control. Damn, I'll have to talk to Anko and find out what she's actually taught him._ "For now, I'll probably work on refining your taijutsu and chakra control. Once I get a handle on what you can do... well, we'll see. Probably help you develop some more ninjutsu that suit your needs, keep pushing on your taijutsu until your body begins moving like a well-oiled machine, maybe even work the other skills a shinobi needs, like information gathering and infiltration. If you're interested, one day I'll begin teaching you the basics of my specialty."

"What's that?"

"Fuinjutsu." Seeing the boy's confused expression, Nanashi only sighed. "I'm probably Konoha's top Fuinjutsu specialist, but it is a very esoteric field of ninjutsu. Don't worry about it kid, if you accept my offer, I'm sure I'll talk your ear off about it."

Naruto nodded, apparently willing to accept that answer. The boy's seemed to be considering things before a frown appeared. He finally looked at Nanashi with suspicion in his eyes before asking in an even tone. "What do you get out of this?" Nanashi blinked at the harsh question in surprise. "I'm not stupid. What you're offering is going to be taking a lot of time off of your hands and I doubt Kakashi-sensei will appreciate it. What's your angle here?"

_Heh, there's the paranoia that I heard about Anko developing. _"Like I said, you've got potential, kid. I'd like to help that along. As for my reasons, well, let's just say that they're there. Maybe one day I'll actually tell you about them. I do promise you, however, that they are not in bad taste towards you or any of your friends in any way, shape, or form." Nanashi paused, letting his words sink in, before asking again. "So, are you in, or out?"

Naruto closed his eyes in what appeared like deep thought. After a few moments, the boy opened his eyes to meet those of his older counterpart. His lips slowly twisted into a feral grin before asking, "When do we start?"

Nanashi grinned in an identical fashion beneath his mask. "Right now."

-/-/-/

"Again!" Naruto instantly obeyed the order, his hands twisting into seals before locking on the final seal in the sequence. Nanashi smirked as the boy yelled out the jutsu's name, already preparing a few kunai.

"Fuuton: Shearing Wind Shield!" Nanashi watched as the winds began whipping around the boy like a pack of angry wolves and knew that Naruto wouldn't be able to hold the technique for long. He quickly threw the kunai at the boy, only smirking beneath his mask as the blades impacted against the shield. The Shearing Wind Shield was actually a more advanced version of the simple Kaze no Tate. Nanashi had developed the advanced during the war, much to a number of Oto Jounin's chagrin. Once he fully mastered it, it became a pastime of sorts for him to unleash it when surrounded by unsuspecting enemies and simply watch as the 'defensive' technique tore them to chunks. He watched as the thrown kunai were literally sliced apart by the mad chakra-infused winds. Bits and pieces of the weapons were sent flying as the technique finally dispersed, leaving a panting Naruto at the technique's center. There were numerous groves in the ground around the boy, roughly in a circle, from the boy's repeated use of the new skill that Nanashi was teaching him.

"Good work. Take a breather for now. We'll start up again on your taijutsu once you've recovered." Naruto merely fell backwards at the man's words, staring up at the sky and breathing hard. Nanashi sighed before looking upwards into the cloudy sky as well, his thoughts drifting. He had been back in Konoha for roughly a few weeks and he had somehow settled into some sort of routine. He would wake up early, train for most of the morning and early afternoon, provided that the old man didn't have a mission for him, before eventually meeting with Nartuo much later in the afternoon. There were exceptions of course, such as when the either of them had missions that were taking longer than expected, or if Nanashi got sidetracked on something. 

"Does Kakashi know you're running his student into the ground?" A concerned feminine voice echoed at the edges of his senses. Nanashi merely shrugged before looking over his shoulder to see the crimson-eyed illusionist. Although her voice was obvious with concern for the genin that Nanashi was working to the point of sheer exhaustion.

"Good evening, Kurenai-san." He paused for a moment, his eyes drifting back to the genin. "Eh, I doubt it, unless Naruto's mentioned it to him."

Kurenai rolled her eyes at the man's nonchalance when avoiding the true intent of her question before replying, "Allow me to clarify: isn't this a bit much?"

"Meh, the kid can take it." He then considered the clearly exhausted young man before chuckling, "Though, you're probably right, at least for tonight. Hey Kid!" When he noticed that he had Naruto's attention, Nanashi grinned beneath his mask. "Let's call it a night. Take a look at that scroll I gave you the other day, but just rest tonight. I'll explain the details of it to you tomorrow. Don't try it out on your own; I'd prefer that the building we live in remain intact for the time being. Go have some Ichiraku's. Tell old man Ichiraku to put your meal on my tab."

Naruto nodded, a fresh grin covering his face as the boy all but leaped to his feet, despite his exhaustion, at the mention of the savory noodles and broth. With a wave the boy sped off, causing both Nanashi and Kurenai to blink in surprise. The woman merely sighed before commenting in amusement, "Perhaps I spoke too soon."

Nanashi shrugged, taking off his mask as he pulled out a cigarette. "Maa... he's a growing boy." He ignored the glare from the woman as he lit the cancer stick with a flash of chakra from his finger before taking a long drag. After he exhaled, he turned to her, lowering the smoke casually. "So what's up? Need me to watch your brats again?"

Despite the offensive cigarette, Kurenai found herself chuckling. "I'm afraid not. Though, you may be glad to know that Kiba still flinches at the mention of your name."

Nanashi chuckled at the remark. "Glad to see I haven't lost my touch." He noticed her stare at his smoke before replying, "Stop glaring at me like that. I'm trying to cut back, but it takes time."

Kurenai frowned before shaking her head. "I came to ask you for some advice." That prompted a raised eyebrow from the Yondaime Hokage look-alike and Kurenai felt the need to clarify. "The Chuunin exam is coming up in a month or so and I plan on entering my team. I should be intensifying their training but I'm not exactly sure of the best way to do so."

It took all of Nanashi's willpower to not show any sign of emotion when she mentioned the Chuunin exams. _Finally, after dicking around since I got here, it's all about to come to a head. I can't wait to see that snake's expression when he realizes that he's never going to see his meticulous plan to assassinate the old man come to fruition, right before I tear his fucking head off.__This will all end in the forest of death and then the present will right itself. Then..._ He shook his head to clear himself of those thoughts, trying to put on a thoughtful expression as if were considering her question.

Nanashi took a drag, idly thinking about the turn of events. A few times since he'd been back he covered for Kurenai and Asuma when they couldn't meet their team for one reason or another. Of course, Nanashi took this as an open invitation to train his old friends, though judging from the way Kurenai described Kiba's reaction to him, it wasn't always appreciated. _Oddly enough, Ino-chan seemed quite happy to be worked into the ground. Though I think I've been placed on Shikamaru's death list.__Asuma must have been even lazier than Ino-chan used to describe. _He took another drag, enjoying the feeling he felt from the nicotine entering his bloodstream before asking, "Why me? Not that I don't appreciate the consideration, but you know your students' capabilities better than I do."

Kurenai only rolled her eyes. "Would you rather I ask Anko?"

"Point taken." He took another drag and thought about it. "Well, I would say work on their chakra control and genjutsu, as that is your specialty. However, none of them really seem like the genjutsu-type." He shook his head for a moment, trying to put on the appearance of not knowing that much about her team. After all, he had served with them for years, and knew full well where their future strengths would lie. "Damn, that's tough. They're all from big clans too, so they're probably already begun focusing on their clan's hijutsu."_Be careful here. Don't give too much away, just try to make it sound like educated guesses. _

Kurenai nodded in agreement. "Yes, and that's something I've been trying to break them out of but it's an uphill battle. I imagine Hinata would be willing to learn more but... never mind."

"You're afraid of what her clan will do to her if she starts using non-Hyuuga techniques." Nanashi finished the woman's thought, ignoring the kunoichi's look of surprise. When he caught her glance, he mentally cursed but remained calm, letting out what looked like an annoyed sigh. "Come on Kurenai-san, give me a little credit. I've only been around your students a few times but I'm not blind. Knowing Hyuuga Hiashi's mindset also helps." He pat himself on the back for the quick save when he saw the expression in her eyes change, "Well, for the most part, Hinata's biggest problem is her confidence. Let me think about it for a bit and we'll come back to her." Another inhale and exhale. "For Kiba, you might want to get him to lay off the soldier pills so much. Chakra building and control exercises would be best for him. If he can get his chakra well to a level where he doesn't need to rely on those pills, it'll benefit him in the long run. Maybe help him learn some long range tactics as well, in case he can't close in on his enemies fast enough."

"And Shino?" Kurenai wasn't surprised that the man knew so much about her students and their problems. After all, he had an annoying tendency to know everything about everyone. Anko swore he was psychic or could read minds, but Kurenai simply believed that the man was far better connected than they realized. _And from the bits and pieces he's let slip, he has the ear of Hokage-sama himself._

"Power. He needs to work on some power techniques. Draining an opponent's chakra is fine and good, but it's not always going to work fast enough. He needs a few ninjutsu that can do some serious damage if utilized correctly. His elemental affinity is Doton, so..."

Kurenai blinked. _How the? _"How do you know that? Did you give my team the test for elemental affinities last time you covered for me?"

Nanashi froze at that, cursing mentally as he thought of a lie to tell the woman. After a short moment, he tried to play it off, shrugging as he answered, "Most Aburame have Doton affinities, much like the Uchiha with Katon. I could be wrong, but it doesn't change that he'll need at least one fast and powerful attack ninjutsu that doesn't rely on his bugs. I doubt Suiton, Fuuton, or Katon will work well with his bugs so that leaves Doton and Raiton." He paused for a moment before adding, "I'd write up a scroll for you, but I don't typically use Doton and I think Hokage-sama would gut me if I gave any of my Raiton jutsu out to a genin."

Kurenai narrowed her eyes at him, obviously catching his lie but let it go. She had learned that pressed the enigmatic fuinjutsu master tended to go nowhere fast. "And what kind of jutsu are you teaching Uzumaki then?"

He shrugged. "I've only taught him defensive and distraction based jutsu. Not my fault that he found a way to turn a distraction jutsu into a decent attack. If Hokage-sama would gut me for giving out any of my Raiton jutsu to a genin then he would cut my balls off and hang me up by my entrails if I ever taught any of my Fuuton attack ninjutsu to the kid. Kid would probably end up tearing the training areas to shreds simply trying to get them to work."

"I see... I believe I have a Doton ninjutsu in mind that will suit Shino as you're described. What about Hinata?"

Nanashi frowned, never really considering the concept of training a Hyuuga. They were usually incredibly one-dimensional in terms of their abilities, with very little training on ninjutsu or genjutsu. The jyuuken was their pride and joy and they had no qualms about displaying that on the battlefield. Even Hinata from 'his' time had been the same, though she had pioneered many new ways to utilize the jyuuken, had refrained from using ninjutsu or genjutsu unless she had no other options. Some went into the medical field but those nin were few and far in-between. "Probably... the best thing for her would just to get more one-on-one fighting experience. Sparring with someone who could raise her confidence. I'd probably say sparring among the three kids but by now she's probably already got it in her head that they're going easy on her. Granted, she'd probably wipe the floor with them, but in her mind it'll only be because they're holding back on her."

Kurenai let out a sigh at that, grabbing the side of her head as if she had a slight headache. "You're probably right, on both counts. What am I going to do with that girl? So much potential..."

Nanashi finished off his smoke and dropped it to the ground, grinding it out with his boot. "Eh, the recommendation still stands. You know any other genin that'd be willing to spar with her. I mean, Gai's student Lee would probably be more than willing to fight someone besides his teammate, but considering how that kid is a taijutsu monster in training, he might break her."

Kurenai scoffed at that. "Neji seems to beat him just fine. He's weak against Jyuuken, I'm sure Hinata could beat him."

Nanashi only laughed at that. "If you start thinking that, then the next time you see that kid fight seriously he's going to blow your mind. I have no doubt that if Lee got serious he'd be able to tear chuunin apart, let alone a single genin." Seeing Kurenai's look of disbelief, he only shook his head. "You'll see what I mean when your team makes it to the final round. I'm sure Gai's students will be there."

Kurenai couldn't help but smirk at that. "Oh? So confident in my teaching skills?"

"More so than in Kakashi's or Asuma's."

"Point taken. I can't help but see that you excluded Gai from that."

"... Kurenai-san, have you seen the hell he puts those kids through on a daily basis?"

"... Right. Any other ideas for who Hinata could spar then?"

_Should I? It's probably not my place but... _"Well, I'm sure that Naruto would spar with her." He watched in amusement as Kurenai's eyebrow rose in disbelief. "Yeah, yeah, I know. The kid's growing though. He was actually much further along than I was expecting when I came back from my trip. Probably due to our mutual snake-summoning friend. Knowing the idiot, he probably doesn't even remember that she was in his class. She'll probably beat him around a good deal, which will be good for her confidence and it will deflate whatever ego the kid might be gaining from working with me. Rather have it get squashed for him prior to the exam than during it." _And it'll introduce 'me' to Hinata on a real level sooner. Whether or not that's a good thing remains to be seen, but maybe this time... Stop thinking about it. He's not you. She's not her. If you start thinking otherwise again, you're going to drive yourself insane._

Kurenai frowned. _Normally, I'd agree, as he doesn't have the personality to hurt Hinata's feelings, but with that crush of hers... _"I'll think about it. Thanks for the advice, Nanashi-san." She then turned to leave before looking back over her shoulder. "Out of curiosity, why have you taken the time to train our genin? Those days that Asuma and I asked you to watch them, we only wanted you to tell them that missions and training were cancelled for the day. Yet you took it upon yourself to train them."

Nanashi only smirked as he pulled his mask back up his face. "I have high hopes for that generation. And I'll not say more than that. If you want me to stay away from your kids, just let me know. I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries."

She only shook her head, mildly amused. "Don't worry about it. Oh, and the others and I are going drinking at Tatsuro's tonight. Anko told me to tell you that if you skip out she'll castrate you in your sleep."

He shook his head. "That insane woman..."

Kurenai had an evil gleam in her eye at that response. "She likes you. I think you should take her out."

_Hmm, now doesn't this seem familiar? _Nanashi remembered a similar conversation with Kurenai-sensei after he had returned from training with Jiraiya, what seemed like an eternity ago. He decided to not play into it this time; last time he had been as dense as a rock as to what she was insinuating. "We go out all the time. Hell, she still owes me money from the other night when I saved her from losing her clothes at that gambling house."

She only rolled her eyes at him. "You know what I meant."

He chuckled, "Aren't you a little old to be match-making?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Kurenai really, really, tried to say it with a straight face but it was just too much and the smile forced its way out.

He only shrugged, fighting the urge for another cigarette. "It's a form of hero worship that still hasn't worn off. I removed her seal, and she thinks more of me than she probably should because of it. In time, even that will fade. Besides, we're too much alike. We'd probably end up tearing each other's throats out before too long."

Kurenai only smirked, apparently glad that he had connected the dots and was no longer playing around with her. "If you say so. Ten o'clock at Tatsuro's."

He shrugged before turning to leave. He figured he could meet Naruto at the ramen stand before running a few other errands before meeting up with everyone else. "Whatever." Besides, he also still needed to talk to the Sandaime about telling Naruto his dark little secret. "Perhaps tomorrow will be the night then."

-/-/-/

"I think I'm going to put my name in to be a jounin-sensei next time the academy exams roll around."

Nanashi only stared at the woman, lowering his drink from being about to take a sip and placing it back on the counter. He rubbed the brim of his nose as he closed his eyes. _Why me? _"Dare I ask why?"

Anko merely grinned, enjoying the reactions from those around her as she explained herself. Most appeared to be horrified or just plain disturbed. "Well, granted I didn't work full time with the brat, but it was kinda fun. Figure it'd make my life a little more interesting at least." She paused, slamming back a shot of sake before continuing, "And I'd get to traumatize some more teenagers. It'll be fun!"

Nanashi only blinked a few times before looking to the others. They all had similar looks of disbelief on their faces. Strange enough, it was Kurenai would voiced everyone's thoughts. "I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that."

"Ditto." A chorus of voices agreed without hesitation.

"You guys suck!"

"All in favor of getting her drunk enough to not remember this idea of hers?"

"Aye."

"... I'm going to get you bastards... yes, even you 'Nai-chan."

Nanashi only chuckled as he took another sip of his drink, ducking his head to avoid the retaliatory response from the snake summoner. _It's good to be back._

* * *

Well folks, I'm back. The Chuunin exams will be coming up soon (the beginning of which will probably start towards the end of the next chapter) and we'll see more of how Nanashi and Anko's 'tutoring' will affect Naruto's growth, as well as the rest of the rookie nine who come into contact with him. To those wanting a more concrete Anko/Nanashi relationship, all I can say is wait and see. I highly doubt that these two would form any coherent relationship, as one might call it. None of that flowers and fancy dinner shit. Neither of them would appreciate such a thing. Knowing the two as I've set them up, it would be plain to see that any relationship between the two is going to be awkward as hell(which will make it all the more fun if I actually decide to pair the two up.)

Thanks for all the positive reviews. As I've pretty much axed my other story, I'm hoping I can work on this one more. I already have a good chunk of the next chapter done, but after a small conversation with my beta about where I'm going with the story, I will probably retool some aspects of it. Here's hoping the next installment won't take as long for me to write. Thanks for reading.

Jutsu List:

**Fuuton: Kaze no Tate**: C - Rank defensive ninjutsu. A whirlwind surrounds the user for a few moments in order to deflect thrown weaponry. Strength is tied to the amount of chakra put into the technique.

**Fuuton: Wind Backlash**: D - Rank distraction technique. One of the basic techniques of wind maniuplation, generating a small breeze in a certain direction. Of course, Naruto, being Naruto, managed to turn this into an attack technique due to the over-abundant amount of chakra placed into the technique. Naruto's version probably ranks somewhere in the range of high D to low C rank attack. 

**Fuuton: Shearing Wind Shield**: B- Rank wind ninjutsu. As stated in the story, it is a more advanced version of the simple Kaze no Tate with the capability of actually cutting things instead of just blowing them away.

Few more pretentious author notes (a.k.a. recommendations):

If you haven't read any of **Case13**'s stuff on FFNet, I highly recommend doing so. He/She is writing some of the most unique and absolutely amazing Naruto stories, including The Art of the Deal, Livewire, and Operator. Also, an very well written AU-Bleach story, Stray Cat Strut (probably my favorite of Case13's works.)

And also, a huge kudos to **J R LeDoux** for being the person to finally continue **DameWren**'s work in the universe of Two Halves and Twice Shy. I've said it before; I despise the Hinata/Naruto pairing with a passion. However, Two Halves was written so well in its day that it really didn't bother me. It truly is a shame that DameWren faded out of fanfiction after finishing Two Halves, but I'm glad to see that someone has finally risen to the plate to continue her work in the universe she's created.


	15. Chapter 14

Howdy folks. Sorry for the delay. Finally got around to starting my job shortly after the last update and time to finish up this installment got pushed away as reality set in. Don't worry, I won't be stopping, but expect updates to be slower. I work on a computer for close to 10 hours a day, so I have little incentive to even look at a computer when I'm home other than for essentials.

Once again, many thanks to TheWatcherAndReader for acting as my beta and for correcting my horribly bad grammar.

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She ignored the first rays of light that hit her face, curling deeper beneath the covers of her bed in an attempt to keep her old nemesis away. She knew it was now futile, as now that she was partially awake there would be no going back until much later that evening. It was a momentary delusion she allowed herself every morning. Sometimes it lasted longer than others, as she was well-versed in the various degrees of morning hangovers. Nothing was worse than being awoken by the sun's light with a hangover that made her wish she was dead.

However, she felt no such feelings as the light's warmth shined down. Instead of a pounding hangover or some sort of morning headache like usual, she actually felt comfortable for a change; like she could simply lie in bed all morning and feel absolutely no need to move. She drew deeper into the bed; as she would never 'snuggle', with a sigh of contentment. It was only when her head somehow shifted into an oddly shaped alcove that her mind truly began working. _What the hell? This doesn't feel right._

With that thought, Mitarashi Anko slowly opened her eyes with a degree of trepidation. She tentatively shifted her body upwards, blinking a few times as she took in her unfamiliar surroundings. Three things were made clear immediately. The first being that this was not her shitty apartment. It was too clean; too organized to be hers. No markings on her wall in the shape of Konoha's leaf symbol made out of dango sticks, no empty boxes of take-out food littering the floor. This wasn't exactly discomforting to her, as it wasn't the first time that someone had offered her a guest room after a night out on the town with the others. Though, she had to admit she was somewhat curious as to whose it was. The second was that she was naked. She only realized this as she finally registered the touch of fabric against her bare skin. She didn't find this particularly distressing either, as she usually slept in the buff, the oppressive heat and humidity of the lands of Fire Country being far stronger than she had to admit she was comfortable with, especially since her apartment had no air conditioning or fans to help alleviate that.

In fact, she usually took her clothes off when hanging around in her apartment. It wasn't like she advertised that fact, but it was a source of a near-famous incident among Konoha's black ops. The ANBU had been chasing an escaping infiltrator through the village with ruthless efficiency that day. In a desperate gamble, the man had jumped through Anko's covered window, heedless of the fact that the woman who owned the apartment was relaxing on her couch in the nude, eating dango as she preferred. The man had broke her window and blinds, only to lose his balance from a stray shuriken that had struck him in the leg. He only groaned before noticing that one of Konoha's kunoichi was standing before him with no clothes on.

The ANBU who were there to witness the events that followed never openly spoke of it, for fear of the kunoichi's wrath. Suffice to say, the man's inability to look past his hormones in those few seconds did not end well for him. The captain who led the pursuit still couldn't look at dango skewers without turning a sickly green color. Thus the legend of Mitarashi Anko grew even further, much to her annoyance and her friend Kurenai's amusement.

It was the third thing that she noticed that caused her mind to shut down as she simply stared. She blinked a few times before a rising sense of horror and shame welled up in her. Her eyes latched on the area that she had been sleeping against and simply stared at the nude figure of a clearly unconscious Nanashi in what she would only later be able to describe as abject horror. _Oh fuck no..._

She wasn't sure how long she simply sat up in his bed staring at him like that until the headache that hadn't hit her as she was waking decided to make its appearance, like it had been waiting in the shadows for her to realize exactly why she had felt odd waking up. She grabbed her head, removing the few covers she held and swung her legs off the side of the bed, leaning forward as the headache seemed to laugh at her expression.

_Fuck. Calm down, Anko. Just find your clothes and get out of here. Calm down first, then come back and flay the bastard alive._ Anko knew that her thought process probably wasn't working as well as it should, but for some reason she found herself profoundly uncomfortable at what the scene had implied. Probably more-so than normal because one: she couldn't remember most of the night before, and two: it was Nanashi that she apparently slept with. Anko couldn't determine which bothered her more so she decided to figure it out later. With a last look over her shoulder at the man, she stood up and began looking for her clothing, only to find that it didn't seem to be present on the floor, or anywhere else in the room for that matter. Her panic tempered slightly at this, giving way to curiosity more than anything else. _What the hell happened last night? _She gave another quick glance around his bedroom before venturing out into the main area of his apartment.

She had crashed on his couch a few times in the past, so she vaguely remembered what the placed looked like but she felt her eyes widen again when she took in the room. It had looked like some sort of hurricane had blown through, with crap all over the floor, including one of the couch cushions. She blinked a few times, idly thinking, _Wait, this is nameless wonder's place? The guy's a neat-freak, right?_ She then noticed his and her clothes thrown across the room, scattered by the door, the kitchen area, the couch, as well as several other spots in the main room. It was only then that the memories of the previous night came back to her.

_Her back slammed against the door, her legs wrapped around his waist as she used her arms to pull him deeper in the ravenous lip-lock that was like a passionate battle for dominance between the two before he moved to her neck, nibbling gently and eliciting a groan of pleasure as one of his hands roughly groped her fishnet covered breast, her hands tightening their grip from the different sensations of heat hinting at the ecstasy that were already beginning to rise in her as he ground his hips against hers..._

For a few moments, had someone been watching her, they would have been treated to the rare sight of a glazed-eye Anko with a growing blush on her face. _Oh... yeah. Damn... the doorway, the kitchen, the countertop, the couch... That would also explain why our clothing is so... damn, we were like fucking rabbits in heat!_ She shook her head, trying to clear away the images that were coming back to mind's eye and failing miserably, allowing the hearty blush to grow even deeper. She quickly gathered her clothing and dressed herself. _Okay, so he didn't take advantage of me... but... shit. _She shook her head, pulling out a hairband from her coat's pocket to tie her hair back into its usual style, desperately trying to push away the amazingly tempting thought of simply taking her clothes off, heading back into that bedroom and continuing where the two of them had left off last night. She shook her head one last time before heading towards the door. She paused there, tossing one final look back towards the bedroom, and wondering if she should wake him but decided that she didn't want to deal with it. Whatever the odd relationship the two had before, Anko knew that something in that had changed last night. She opened the door and closed it as quietly as she could, not wanting to wake her, _What now? Friend? Comrade? Lover? Fuck-buddy? Damn it, girl, you really know how to make a mess of things._

If one listened closely they could hear the soft footsteps as the woman walked away from the apartment. Once those sounds faded, Nanashi opened his eyes and simply stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom. Without really thinking about it, he reached for his nightstand and grabbed his pack of cigarettes. He removed one, tossed the rest of the pack away, and lit it. He took a long drag, still lying back in his bed before saying one word.

"Fuck." _Smart move, jackass..._

He wasn't sure how long he stayed in bed, but it had to be a while as his cigarette was mostly finished by the time he decided to move. He slowly rose, leaving the cigarette in his mouth as he got out of bed and made his way towards his bathroom. He ignored the state of his apartment, remembering the previous night, probably far better than his serpentine 'partner'. As he entered his bathroom, he flicked the remainder of his smoke into the toilet and took a quick shower. He purposely didn't think about what had happened with Anko; he knew that he would probably spend more time thinking about it than was healthy later so he put it off for now, focusing on simply waking up completely. The simple and repetitive motions involved with cleaning oneself were enough to keep his mind at bay for the moment.

He stepped out of the bathroom when he finished, a towel around his waist and water dripping freely from his hair. He was actually startled when he heard a loud knock on his door. For a moment he debated whether to simply answer it, but then again, he was almost nude for all intents and purposes. Finally, he simply asked, "Who is it?"

The person didn't seem to want to answer right away, leading to Nanashi wondering if Anko had come back to kill him. Then a dull voice sounded through the door, barely loud enough to be heard. "It's Uchiha Sasuke, Nanashi-san."

Nanashi froze at the boy's voice. _What the hell is he doing here? Calm down, he's not a threat at the moment... at least until you get dressed. _Chuckling at the thought, he hollered back, "Should be open. Come in. Make yourself useful and put on a pot of coffee." With that he turned towards his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

Sasuke opened the door with a frown on his face. He looked around the department in disgust at its state. _This is as bad as Naruto's place..._ He found it insulting to be asked to perform such a menial task but began rummaging through the man's kitchen for the coffee pot and grounds as requested. Within a few minutes, the device was plugged in and working away. Sasuke took another glance around before leaning against the, somewhat clean, kitchen countertop, waiting for the masked shinobi to show himself._ Probably getting dressed. A shame, Sakura has been wondering what he looks like without the mask. If I could show her with a henge, maybe she would stop bothering me._

He looked up as Nanashi's bedroom door opened and the man walked out, dressed as he usually was, down to the mask. Sasuke felt a flare of annoyance, but kept it reigned in. It wouldn't do to lose his cool before he made his request.

Nanashi simply stared at the Uchiha before turning away to start doing some cleaning of his apartment. Taking the scattered clothing and throwing it into a pile near his bedroom, moving the couch back into the correct position, fixing the cushions of said couch, moving the coffee table back into place. Without looking at the boy, "Shouldn't you be training with the copycat by now?"

Sasuke scoffed at that. _Like he would even be around at this point. _"Kakashi-sensei gave us the day off."

"Ah." Nanashi fixed up before heading back into the kitchen, ignoring the teenager as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He paused for a moment before venturing a look towards the future vessel of the bane of his existence. _Well, no need to be rude yet._ "Coffee?"

"No, thank you."

Nanashi shrugged, ignoring the suddenly interested look that the Uchiha was starting to send at his mask. "So, what do you want?"

Sasuke bit his lip. He didn't really want to do this, but considering Naruto's rapid growth since he began training in his off-time with the man, he knew he had to swallow his pride. "I want to make a request, Nanashi-san."

The man simply raised an eyebrow, still not sipping his coffee. "Oh?"

Sasuke moved off of the counter to face the man fully before bowing his head. "I wish to work with you, as you are with Naruto." Dead silence followed his words and Sasuke fought the urge to look up. He knew that the request would be a shock, but knew that looking at the man's eyes would be a sign of disrespect. Not especially wise, considering he was asking a favor of the shinobi. So he never noticed the odd expression on the man's face as he lowered his mask, took a sip of coffee and put the mask into place.

Nanashi, on the other hand, was speechless for a far different reason. _This... the bastard has the balls to ask ME for training? The bastard who cut out Hinata's eyes!_ He had to stop himself from releasing a wave of killing intent as the realization hit him, among other far more dangerous reactions that his subconscious was whispering for him to do. He took a deep breath, remembering the Sandaime's words regarding the Uchiha, and began listing the number of ninjutsu that he knew. Far from an ordinary countdown, but sufficient enough for calming him.

Sasuke was starting to get worried. He still had not raised his head, but the silence was starting to get to him. _This isn't just shock. This is something else._ Finally, he heard the man scoff. Taking that as a sign to raise his head, he was surprised to see the strange mixture of amusement and disgust in the man's eyes.

"No." The response was cold and filled with something that Sasuke couldn't place but it did make him uncomfortable. Sasuke flushed before glaring at the older man. A mistake, as he soon found himself pinned face-first against the countertop, his arm twisted behind his back into a painful position, a kitchen knife at his throat. The man spoke again, his voice still speaking in that disturbing tone. "Bit of advice, Uchiha. Don't glare at your betters, especially someone who you want something from."

Sasuke grunted out a single question, despite the bad position. He knew that if Nanashi wanted to kill him, he was already dead. "Why?"

Nanashi scoffed, releasing the boy and stepping away. He watched in indifference as the teenager pulled himself up and turned to stare him in the eyes. Nanashi put down the knife near his resting coffee mug and crossed his arms as he stared at the boy. "You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"Fine. I will not train you because I do not trust you. You're a little punk with a chip on his shoulder the size of the Hokage's monument."

Sasuke looked openly confused about that before frowning. "You don't even know me."

Nanashi only rolled his eyes. "I know far more about you than you and your clan than you can possibly fathom, Uchiha Sasuke. " Seeing the boy's look of disbelief, he decided to have a little fun with his future antagonist. "Son of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto, brother of Uchiha Itachi. Arrived to watch his older brother Itachi murder his parents to be put under the nukenin's Tsukiyomi technique, one of the techniques granted to one who has achieved the first stage of the Mangekyou Sharingan."

He ignored the look of astonishment and surprise from the teenager as he continued speaking, "You were placed in a hospital following the massacre of your clan, and upon awakening, swore to hunt down and kill your brother. Despite your hatred of him, you followed his advice and searched out the Uchiha clan secret archives, and found the document detailing how to unlock the Mangekyou Sharingan. So, to answer your question, I will not teach you anything as you plan to use it to kill your best friend, which by the time you will actually think to try, will most likely be Naruto."

Sasuke simply stared at the man in shock, his jaw opening and closing as he tried to put together just how this man could know so much. Not even the Hokage knew the Uchiha clan's secret. "How do you know that?" The teenager demanded.

Nanashi simply glared at the boy, and this time didn't hesitate to let out a little killing intent, watching as the Uchiha suddenly had trouble breathing. "Because I know everything, you arrogant little brat. Now get the fuck out of my apartment before I feel like ridding Konoha of a liability."

Sasuke shuddered as he was able to breath again, the man's pressure fading. He didn't hesitate in the slightest, already moving towards the door, his hand gripping his chest as a reflexive action. As he closed the door behind him, Sasuke could only think one thing to himself.

_I couldn't even get answers from him! Why am I so weak?_

-/-/-/

It was late morning when Naruto found himself inside the Sandaime's office, fidgeting uncomfortably. The only reason he wasn't reacting more was because Iruka was sitting in the office next to him. The man seemed tired, but lacked Naruto's nervousness, though he did seem confused. "I wonder why Hokage-sama wanted to talk to both of us."

Naruto nodded quietly. He hadn't been in the old man's office other than for missions since graduation. He quickly began running down a list of pranks that he may have done recently, but nothing came to mind immediately. _Maybe some of my old traps finally got sprung? I mean, some of those people Anko wanted pranked were out on missions..._ He wondered if maybe the old man had some sort of mission, just for him. _Hey, maybe that's it! I'm going to be Hokage soon enough, maybe he has some near-impossible mission that I can shove in Sasuke-teme's face!_

"Hokage-sama will see you now." Naruto's attention was diverted from his little fantasy to the old man's secretary, who was giving him a pleasant smile. Naruto gave her his own foxy grin in response, knowing that the woman was one of the few who didn't seem to dislike him for no apparent reason. Though, that didn't protect her from his pranks when he was younger. Naruto rose to his feet along with his favorite sensei and entered the old man's office. The Sandaime was sitting behind his desk, his hat resting on the desk and his pipe in his mouth. Naruto was about to make a comment about the man's thinning hairline but he stopped himself when he noticed that it wasn't just Hokage-sama that was there. Standing off to the side, not looking at the new arrivals but rather staring out the window, was Naruto's 'tutor', the strange man known only as Nanashi.

"Ah, Iruka, Naruto. Good to see you." The elderly man began, placing his pipe on the table and folding his hands in front of his face. "How are things at the academy, Iruka?"

Iruka let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I have to admit they're somewhat calmer, compared to the last group." Iruka and the Hokage only chuckled at Naruto's accusing pout before Iruka calmed himself. "Hokage-sama, is there a problem?"

The old man shook his head, shooting a quick glance at the door. Iruka looked behind him to see the nice woman who had escorted them in close the door to the office. Shortly after, the blond whose name Iruka did not know walked up to the door and began inscribing seals on it in black ink. When he was finished, he went through a series of hand seals before finally finishing up on the ram seal. The ink seemed to glow a pale blue before the seals, ink and all, vanished into the door frame. "Room is sealed, Hokage-sama."

Iruka began worrying even more at this. _A silencing seal? What could Hokage-sama want to talk to us about that would require such lengths?_ "Hokage-sama..."

"What's going on, you old geezer?" Naruto accused, knowing the serious expression on Nanashi's face could not mean anything good.

"Take a seat you two." The elder ninja waited until they pulled over a pair of chairs and sat down. Nanashi simply stood behind the two, his face unseen due to his mask but from his eyes it was easy to tell that he was serious. "Naruto... There are some things that you should be made aware of."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Like what? Don't tell me there's a list of requirements to take your job old man!"

Iruka bopped his former student on the head, ignoring the yelp of pain. "Show some respect, Naruto!"

"No, nothing that is like that..." The Sandaime trailed off, and although Iruka couldn't tell for sure, his intuition was telling him that the man wasn't sure how to phrase his next words.

Finally, the man behind the two of them spoke up. "Hokage-sama, there's no easy way to say it. You might as well just tell him."

The old man glared at his troublesome subordinate from the future and couldn't help but wonder how exactly the man had convinced him that this was a good idea. He was somewhat surprised that the man had attended the meeting in person, as they had not discussed his presence. Especially since the man currently looked worse for wear, at least in the way he moved and spoke. The Sandaime had a sneaking suspicion that the man was recovering from a hangover and wasn't too pleased to be there.

He would never know that he was both right and wrong. Right, in that the man was suffering from a hangover. Wrong, because the man would rather be there than hunting down a certain kunoichi and trying to patch together whatever odd relationship they had. _Not to mention my screw-up with Sasuke. Damn it, that was not a bright thing to do._

"Naruto, what can you tell me about Kyuubi no Youko?"

Iruka flinched at that visibly and stared at the Hokage in shock. The Sandaime only gave a slight nod, as if confirming the man's suspicion. _So he's going to tell Naruto the secret... I can only hope Naruto doesn't react badly._

"The Nine-tails fox attacked Konoha about twelve years ago and nearly destroyed the village before the Yondaime Hokage killed it." Naruto said, his tone of voice showing a mixture of confusion at being asked such a random question, and certainty from knowing the fate of his idol, the Yondaime Hokage.

"Not quite, kid." Naruto and Iruka turned their gazes to Nanashi as he walked around the two to lean against the side of the Hokage's desk. He met the boy's eyes and continued, "He was able to defeat Kyuubi. Not kill it."

The blond frowned. "Then..."

"The history that is taught the shinobi academy and civilian schools is modified, for several purposes. The end result is the same though; a demon defeated at the cost of a Hokage's life. The truth is much more complicated. The reality of the situation is that, long story cut short, the Kyuubi was not a life form that could be truly killed. The Yondaime may not have known this, but he did know that no one in Konoha could kill it. Thus he devised a different method of dealing with the demon."

The Hokage nodded, picking up where the blond man ended. "He created a seal capable of sealing the fox away. However, due to the fox's nature, as well as its strength, he could not simply seal it into a stature or urn, like it has been done with demons in the past. He needed something that was alive."

"Alive... like a dog or something?"

"Close... he needed something that had a chakra system, one that was not yet mature and would grow to adapt to the Kyuubi's influence." Nanashi answered, his gaze now locked on the boy. "Naruto, do you understand what we're telling you, and more importantly, why?"

Naruto frowned, his mind trying to piece together the hints that they had given him. _Something with chakra... a person then? Not yet mature... that means someone young, right? But why would they be telling..._ The answer hit him like one of Sakura's right hooks. He tried, he really tried to fight the trembling that seemed to rack his body as the realization hit him. He immediately lowered his eyes, trying to fight tears that he knew were coming. _So that's why everyone hates me._

"Naruto..." Iruka looked at his little brother in everything but blood, with concern, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. It was a testament to how much the boy was disturbed when he didn't even react to his teacher's hand. Iruka shot a look to the Hokage, concern evident in his face.

"Kid..." Nanashi didn't know what to really say. He had learned the truth while trying to stay alive, and in the end it had been Iruka's kind words that had made him accept who he was fast enough to save him from Mizuki. That was the reason that Nanashi had requested that Iruka attended this meeting, but now that the bomb had been dropped, he didn't know what to do. _How should I feel about this? I mean, at least no one is trying to kill him as they reveal it. How would I have felt to find out this way?_

"Naruto, look at me." The elder shinobi spoke, his voice firm, but still kind. Naruto slowly raised his eyes and the Sandaime had to fight from flinching at the lost look in those blue orbs. "Whatever you are thinking, stop. You are not the Kyuubi; you are its jailor. You are a hero, even if the villagers are too foolish to realize this."

"I'm... not the fox?"

Nananshi scoffed at that. "Kid, if you were a demon, do you really think I'd be teaching you anything? Do you really think that Iruka over there would treat you like a little brother if he felt that you were the demon that killed his parents?" Nanashi ignored the glares from both the Hokage and the one that felt even deadlier from 'Iruka.

Iruka turned his eyes back to his student. "They're right, Naruto. You aren't the demon. Don't ever think otherwise."

Naruto nodded, his chest uncoiling in release as he realized the truth. "Then... why do-"

"Because they're fucking morons, kid." Nanashi said, a smirk in his voice. "The villagers are too bitter to get over what happened, and the shinobi aren't much better." He paused for a moment, his fingers playing with an unlit cigarette as he answered, "In reality, even if the Kyuubi hadn't killed anyone in the village, the shinobi would probably still act the same way. It did the one thing that's unforgivable in a village like ours. The Kyuubi's sheer presence was enough to drive men into shock, so much killing intent and hatred that you can't even begin to imagine at your age. It made this village of warriors feel powerless, and that's the ultimate sin against a village born to fight."

There was an odd silence in the room before Naruto spoke up. "God damn, Nanashi-sensei. You sounded like old man Hokage there. Are you also ready to retire?" There was silence before there was laughter, all three men glad to see that the boy was taking the news so well. "So does everyone know?"

"No one of the younger generation knows. A law was put in place to protect you. Speaking of the true nature of the Kyuubi's defeat to anyone who didn't already know the truth was punishable as treason against Konoha. I wanted you to have a chance to grow up as a normal child." The Sandaime explained, a sad smile on his face.

"You're probably wondering why we decided to tell you this now." Nanashi said, putting the cigarette away at Iruka's frown. "Well, you know those scrolls I've been having you read?"

Naruto frowned. "Umm, the basics of Fuinjutsu... and the theory behind reactive tags?"

"Exactly. As you know, my specialty is in Fuinjutsu. I'm not going to teach you more beyond what I've shown you unless you want me to. However, I figured that currently you know a little about a very tricky subject, and I know that eventually you would've put together what exactly that tattoo on your stomach was. I figured it was best to inform you before you accidently did something... unwise in an experiment or something."

"You're learning Fuinjutsu?" was combined with a "You're teaching him Fuinjutsu?" from Iruka and the Sandaime respectively. Naruto blushed slightly at the attention, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly while Nanashi merely smirked.

"Figured it'd be fun, if he's interested. If anything, we could have fun scaring the shit out of the council." Nanashi replied, a grin beneath his mask. _Not that he won't be interested. Hell, all Ero-sennin had to show me was how to make explosive tags and I was hooked._

Iruka frowned at that, wondering what the man could mean, while the Sandaime simply shook his head. _Trust Naruto to come up with a way to cause the council even more headaches._ He paused at that thought before chuckling, _both past and future._

-/-/-/

Anko internally groaned as she sat at the small cafe with Kurenai. She had wanted to simply get home, go to sleep again, and push away what scattered memories she had of the previous night remained. _But no, it can never be that simple, can it? Of course 'Nai-chan has to be out and of course she has to invite me to lunch. _She pouted internally as she stabbed another sweet dumpling, _and I'm still too easily bribed._

She wasn't really listening too closely to her friend as she went on about her genin team. She had met the brats once, and she personally thought that 'Nai-chan got the short end of the stick when it came to genin. _That idiot Kakashi gets the Uchiha and the brat, and 'Nai-chan gets stuck with an un-talkative walking hive, a mouse of a Hyuuga, and a mutt in what seems like permanent heat. She really has more patience than I ever would in her situation..._

She was snapped out of her thoughts when her friend poked her in the shoulder. "Wha?"

Kurenai simply repeated her words, "I said, I heard you were tapped as an examiner."

Anko shrugged. "Yeah. Old man Hokage wants me to officiate the second part of the exam," she shot a sadistic grin at her friend, hoping to unnerve her a little, "and no, I can't tell you what that is. Fairness and all."

Kurenai only grinned back. "Like you ever gave a damn about that."

Anko grabbed her chin as if in thought. "True, but I still ain't telling you. I've got bets active on the number that make it through my part. I love ya like a sister 'Nai-chan, but I've got a reputation to uphold after all." She punctuated her statement with an evil sounding cackle that caused more than one head to turn in her direction, only to pale upon realizing who had laughed and then go back to their business.

"Oh, and what would that be? Konoha's biggest exhibitionist? Most sadistic kunoichi to ever walk into Hokage-sama's office? Inventor of the Thousand Years of Pain?"

Anko only chuckled. "I wish I could take credit for that last one! Old lady Tsunade beat me to it!"

Kurenai only shook her head. "Well, I don't expect my team to become Chuunin or anything, but I think it'll be a good experience for them."

Anko gave her friend a level glance before saying, "You sure about this, Kurenai? I may not like them, but you really like your bratlings. The exam is going to be dangerous, after all."

Kurenai only raised a single eyebrow, "No faith in my teaching abilities? I'm hurt, Anko."

"Don't you be trying to guilt-trip me; I'm a master at that." Anko grinned at first before losing the smile. "I just know if something happens to one of those kids, you'd never forgive yourself. Are you sure they're ready? After all, we examiners do plan on breaking them." Her grin widened a bit, "Into many little pieces. Bloody, if possible."

Kurenai nodded. Anko didn't show it, but was glad that her friend was so confident about the words that came out of her mouth. "Like I said, I doubt they'll become Chuunin at this stage. However, their teamwork is top notch and I have no doubt that they'll make it through the main trials without too much difficulty. The final tournament will probably be tougher on them, but that's fine. At that point its controlled and if they really do get in over their heads, I can stop them."

Anko lips twisted into a small smile. "You're assuming they'll make it through MY test, 'Nai-chan! I guess I'll have to take extra special care to break them." Her smile grew as she took another bite from her dumplings before she spoke up again, "So what do you think of the idea I had a few days ago? About me becoming a sensei?"

Anko was slightly amused at the twitch at the woman's eyebrow, "You still remember that?"

"Takes more alcohol than what I drank that night to make me black out." She finished off the last of her dango before pushing the plate away. "Seriously though. I may not have taught that brat a whole lot, but I have to admit it was somewhat... satisfying?" She frowned at that, "Not sure if that's the right word."

Kurenai shrugged. "It's your choice, Anko. Just remember that it's a big responsibility, and that you'll be leading a team of teenagers. Not shinobi. It's your job to turn them into real shinobi, after all." She then glared at her friend, "That would mean cutting back on your drinking and other bad habits."

Anko only rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

"I'm not joking, Anko-chan."

"I know, stop playing mother hen. I have cut back, woman." Anko frowned at that. Shortly after Kurenai had passed her team, Anko had found the woman coming out less often. _Well, at least to drink. She still goes out with that bearded smokestack enough._ When Kurenai found out that Anko hadn't altered her drinking patterns afterwards, she forced the woman to agree to cut back on her drinking. Apparently she had not known of Anko's near-alcoholic state and had been horrified. Anko wasn't really sure why she agreed to the deal, _probably because 'Nai-chan is the closest thing I have to a best friend or sister, _but Kurenai always seemed to know when she had broken it. _Like now, for instance, _Anko thought with a roll of her eyes. _She also doesn't seem to appreciate the fact that the nameless wonder finds drinking with me entertaining,_ Anko grimaced at the sudden thought.

Kurenai let out a sigh, swirling her cup of tea. "You get annoyed because I worry, but you keep drinking like that and one morning you're going to wake up in some guy's bed having no idea how you got there. Or worse."

For a moment, Anko's mind blanked and she couldn't help but wonder if Kurenai knew something she didn't about her current situation. _Don't fucking say anything stupid! _Anko ignored the voice in the back of her mind and the images that the thought had invoked before merely smirking at her old friend. She tried to keep a teasing tone in her voice, "Speaking from personal experience, 'Nai-chan?"

Kurenai rolled her eyes, "Says the exhibitionist." Kurenai let out a thin grin and decided to mess with her friend a bit, "Besides, from what I heard from Takara-san this morning, you were really enjoying yourself last night."

Anko tilted her head at that, wondering if her friend was teasing her or was genuinely remarking on what happened last night, a good portion of which still eluded the serpentine kunoichi_. Just play along for now_. With a frown, she simply asked, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Kurenai only grinned, her inner voice cackling in a way that would make Anko proud. "According to Takara-san, you were making out with some guy right on the bar, in front of the crowd. Supposedly there was some cheering before the bartender threw the two of you out."

Anko paled, her eyes widening in sheer horror. _No fucking way... kami, how much did the two of us drink last night, for fuck's sake?_ It was only then that she noticed the odd look in Kurenai's eyes and cursed inwardly. _Shit, she was just messing with me._ "That a fact?" Anko tried to play it off casually, but had a sneaking suspicion that she was already too late.

Kurenai simply stared at her friend. "Perhaps I should be asking you that? Have a little fun last night, Anko-chan?"

Anko averted her attention to the cup of green tea that she had been drinking, refusing to look Kurenai in the eye. "Not really."

Kurenai only looked at her friend, rather amused by the situation. _She's so childish about certain things._ "I see." She paused for a moment, watching her friend carefully before venturing a guess, "So was it Genma?"

Anko glared at her friend. "We are so not discussing this."

"Ah, so you did have a little fun last night? So, not Genma... Kakashi, perhaps?"

"Shut up." Anko couldn't fight the crimson blush that began developing on her face and forced herself to stare at her tea in an attempt to ignore her friend, who seemed to be having far too much fun with this.

Kurenai was highly amused by this turn of events. Judging from her friend's reaction, it was obvious what had happened. As she seemed more embarrassed by it, rather than angered, Kurenai had to assume that it wasn't as if Anko had been taken advantage of, but rather she and her... 'bed-loaner' had simply been drunk off their ass and one thing had led to another... "Raidou? Kotetsu?" Kurenai began listing off the names of several Chuunin and Jounin, a slight pause in between in order to watch her friend's annoyance rise. Finally, she threw out, "Nanashi?" Kurenai stared in shock as the cup in the hands of the purple-haired kunoichi began cracking at that name before shattering from the pressure of the woman's grip. Kurenai blinked and watched in silence as her friend cursed and reached for some napkins to wipe away the small amount of tea that had spilled on her when she had cracked the cup. _Well, I can't say it was unexpected, but the way she's acting... _"Nanashi, then?"

"'Nai-chan..." Anko trailed off with a growl, a warning present and Kurenai decided to leave it at that for now.

"Fine, fine." The two sat in silence, Kurenai with a slight grin and watching her friend in amusement; Anko with a snarl as she continued to wipe away the tea, not meeting her friend's gaze. "So, h-"

"We are not discussing this anymore, Kurenai. Not right now, or I'm going to hurt you."

Kurenai merely ran her hand near her lips, in the motion of a zipper, amusement still on her face. Despite what Anko said, Kurenai couldn't help herself. "How was he?"

Anko leveled a glare at her friend that lasted for several minutes before she tossed the napkin away and raised a hand to her forehead, as if experiencing a headache. "From what I can remember... Best damn sex I've ever had."

Kurenai couldn't help but laugh.

-/-/-/

"That went surprisingly well." Naruto had already left the Hokage's office, dragging his academy sensei off to Ichiraku's. This left the Hokage and Nanashi alone in the office, both considering the boy's reaction to the news.

Nanashi merely shrugged, reaching for a cigarette, but hesitating as he was in the presence of the old man. "Told ya it'd be fine. I was far more mature than anyone ever gave me credit for."

The Hokage simply chuckled at that, "And considering all your pranks, we were supposed to believe that?"

"Point taken. What's your take on this? I have to say that I'm somewhat surprised that you agreed to tell him when I brought it up the other day."

The Hokage reached into his desk and removed his pipe. As Nanashi watched the man light it, he decided to take it as permission and pulled out a cigarette for himself. The Hokage raised an eyebrow at the man's habit, evidently not knowing that he smoked, but eventually gave an answer to Nanashi's question. "All things considered, you came out alright, more or less, when finding out under far more intense circumstances. With Akatsuki moving and Kakashi's report of Naruto's unconscious use of the demon's chakra in Wave, it would better if he knew. Especially if you really are teaching him Fuinjutsu."

Nanashi took a drag, exhaling the smoke, before answering. "Only the basics for now. Basic stuff like storage seals and reactive tags. Figure I'd whet his appetite and if he wants to learn more, then I'll teach him more."

The Hokage chuckled at that, "You say that as if you aren't positive that he'll take it up."

Nanashi shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe my original interest in Fuinjutsu was based on something I wasn't even aware of that hasn't happened yet. As much as I would like to believe it, I can't predict 'my' actions." He frowned at that last part, "I still can't believe he knows the Bunshin Daibakuha..."

The Hokage chuckled once more. "Regretting introducing the two now?" He took a puff off of his pipe, ignoring the strange look that crossed his time-traveling subordinate's face. "Actually, I'm quite pleased with how Naruto has turned out. He's had a good effect on Anko-chan as well, surprisingly." The elder man smiled as Nanashi looked at him in disbelief, "She's actually calmed down quite a bit since taking Naruto on as a sometimes-student."

"So she doesn't threaten your messenger boys with threats of castration now?" Nanashi asked, sarcasm prevalent in his tone.

"Oh no, she still does that. She does, however, no longer poison them for gawking at her... attire."

Nanashi snorted, "One day, I'll ask. I really will."

"There are some things that one is better off not knowing, my young friend."

-/-/-/

Nansahi found himself leaving the tower not too long after Naruto and Iruka. He and the old man had discussed a few things, including how to deal with the council once they learned of Nanashi's teaching regiment for the young jinchuuriki. As he went to reach for the door handle, he sensed it opening and leaned back into order to avoid having the door open into his face. He took a step back as Team 10 walked in, with Asuma in the lead followed by Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru respectively. He gave a small nod to Asuma as a hello, but didn't intend to say anything else.

All in all, he was somewhat surprised when Ino spoke to him. "Ah, Nanashi-san. Good afternoon." She was giving him a bright smile and her voice was very cheery, something that set the blond on edge. _A cheery Ino usual ends with someone being injured..._ As if confirming his thoughts, the special-jounin noticed Shikamaru shiver and take a step away from his female teammate.

He gave the girl a smile beneath his mask. "Good morning, Ino-chan. Mission day?"

She gave him a nod, still beaming as she raised her fist in triumph. "We're going to be receiving a C-rank today." Nanashi blinked at that before looking at Asuma, who was rolling his eyes in amusement at the girl's antics. His eyes travelled to her two male teammates who seemed to be having a similar reaction to Ino's words as their sensei. He then turned his disbelieving look on Ino, who seemed to notice expression, despite his mask. She fidgeted under his gaze before adding, "Well, Asuma-sensei said he'd try to get us one."

Nanashi chuckled to himself at the girl's antics. It was still odd for him to deal with his peers who were no longer his peers. While he had expected some different treatment from his old friends than what he was used to, it was really strange the ways that they reacted. He chalked it up to the whole mysterious special-jounin theme he had going. He still remembered when he almost choked on the cigarette he had been nursing when Kiba had actually bowed to him at their 'first' meeting.

Of course, that respect turned to hatred very quickly once he began to run Team 8 through the paces. Or rather, Nanashi's paces. Nanashi was fairly confident that Shino now had a pathological fear of bug zappers. Kiba and Akamaru probably twitched every time someone held an unopened scroll in their hands. And Hinata had fainted rather quickly when he sent a compliment her way. It had been oddly nostalgic in a bittersweet way to the time traveler.

Nanashi nodded, as if acknowledging the girl's answer, noticing that Asuma had already walked to the mission desk. He turned his head to Chouji and Shikamaru, "And you two? How have you been?"

Chouji seemed to shrug, at least around the motions of extracting chips from his bag and chewing. At least the... corpulent boy had the decency to chew with his mouth closed and finish swallowing before answering. "Good. Asuma-sensei says our teamwork is progressing well."

Shikamaru only rolled his eyes, as if annoyed by answering the man's question. "Ino is still too troublesome." He was rewarded by Ino with a smack on the side of the head for his complaint, who was glaring at him with murder in her eyes.

Nanashi was about to provoke Ino a bit more for fun before Asuma returned, a bored look on his face. "Well, there are no open C-rank missions right now, Ino. They do have a few D-rankers, but I doubt any of you are in the mood to deal with them."

"Damn right!" Ino all but yelled, her face twisting to disgust at the thought of doing more D-rank missions. Chouji and Shikamaru simply exchanged glances before shrugging, although Nanashi thought he heard the genius mutter 'troublesome' under his breath.

Asuma nodded. "I figured as much. So we can do some team training, break out and you each can work on your own skills, or take the day off." Asuma then glanced at Nanashi and the blond almost shuddered at the evil grin that formed on the bearded-jounin's face. "Or maybe Nanashi could teach you guys something again?"

Ino's face lit up at that last prospect, in a disturbingly familiar way to Naruto but not one he could place. Her two teammates on the other hand, paled at the suggestion, Chouji even dropping his bag of chips to stare at the special-jounin in complete fear. Shikamaru wasn't looking at Nanashi, but his glare was targeted on Asuma, with a level of venom that one would see from one meeting a traitor.

Nanashi for a moment, felt pity for the two boys. He knew that Ino would force them into training, especially his 'hellish' training, as his associates referred to it. Then he forced himself to remember what was upcoming in their Chuunin exam and the pity fled. _Couldn't hurt them to get a little more intense training._ "I suppose I could give you three a little test or two. Meet me at training ground 16 in ten minutes." He watched in amusement, along with Asuma, as Ino all but dragged her two teammates out and towards the training ground in question. After they had left, Nanashi looked towards the man who taught him the basics of wind manipulation. "You enjoyed that, didn't you?"

The man didn't even attempt to deny it. "Shikamaru has been winning in our shouji matches too quickly recently."

Nanashi chuckled. He scratched the back of his head before asking, "So... what limits should I use?"

Asuma shrugged. "Just don't do any permanent or lasting damage. They're tougher than they look."

Nanashi nodded. He finally asked the question that had been bugging him for a while. "The way that Ino looks at me... it's rather disturbing. Is that what I think it is?"

Asuma let out a bark of laughter at that. "Don't worry too badly. I'm sure once they get through training with you, that even Ino will lose that little crush of hers."

Nanashi couldn't help the sigh of relief. "Thank kami. For a moment, I thought I had turned into an Uchiha pretty boy."

"Nah, it's more of a respect thing." The two adults began walking towards the training grounds in question. Asuma brought out a cigarette and lit it, prompting Nanashi to do the same. Asuma paused slightly at seeing the man's unmasked face but said nothing as he lit Nanashi's cigarette for him. "Ino, more than the others, feels as if she has something she needs to live up to, because of their parents. Even more so in her case since she is a kunoichi and kunoichi aren't known for their battle prowess. The others don't really have the same drive, but they work well together. Chouji just doesn't like to hurt others and Shikamaru's just lazy. Thought if they were ever placed in the right situation, they would both rise to have the same level of enthusiasm as Ino." He paused to glance at Nanashi before finishing, "You treat her as another kunoichi, and don't look down on her because of that. That's probably where it's stemming from."

Nanashi took a drag, exhaling slowly as the two continued walking. "You came up with that by yourself?"

Asuma only chuckled, the cigarette still between his lips. "Nah, that's Kurenai's theory. She finds Ino's crush on you... cute."

"Women."

"Yep."

-/-/-/

Several days later, Nanashi found himself summoned to the Hokage's office. He walked in and watched the man he once considered a surrogate grandfather, now to become something more of a combination of that and respected teacher. The man was smoking his pipe as he stared out his window overlooking the village. Nanashi closed the door behind him, and seeing that the old man was smoking, lowered his mask and lit one of his own. "What's up, old timer?"

The Sandaime looked at his shinobi from the future in his window's reflection before twisting in his chair. The two sat and stared at each other, neither saying a word and the stare down only being interrupted when one would take a hit from their respective sources of tobacco. The Hokage sighed, putting his pipe down on his desk and pulling out a folder from his desk drawer. "Here."

Nanashi shifted his smoke to the other side of his mouth, taking another drag as he grabbed the folder. He opened it, exhaling slowly as he read through the papers within. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Yes. These will be the conditions that they asked for, and ours as well."

"Heh. Wish I could see the look on old man Hyuuga's face when he hears the news." He looked up at the elder with a raised eyebrow. "They aren't going to be pleased by this, you realize."

"Of course not, but with that scroll you have written out for me, I think I'll be able to keep them quiet. As much as Hiashi himself detests that blasted seal, politically the clan elders will force him to follow my terms in order to keep that scroll of yours out of the branch family's hands." He paused for a moment before placing another scroll on the desk. "I need you to head back there and bring this with you."

Nanashi frowned at that, his eyes narrowing. "The exams are coming and with that..."

"I know. This shouldn't take you that long though. A few weeks at most, and even then that should give you a few days before they begin. And don't give me any grief here; you are Konoha's contact to Kumogakure no Sato at the moment as well as the only one capable of stabilizing Nii Yugito's seal, as per the agreement."

Nanashi flinched, muttering a curse under his breath. He pulled out his cigarette and ground it out on the palm of his gloved hand, before tossing it in the trash can. "So what's the move?"

"I have plans for several contingents of ANBU to patrol training area 44 during the second part of the exam. They will be focused on following team 7, should Kakashi choose to nominate them. If not, they will simply patrol and wait. If they see anything suspicious, they will terminate with extreme prejudice."

Nanashi nodded, "It was a team from Kusa... if I'm remembering correctly. The snake's 'teammates' will be carriers of curse seals, I would suspect."

"Yes... When you return I will be placing you in charge of one of the teams while Tenzou will head another. You'll get your chance. If you plan on engaging him though, do not do it alone. Summon as many allies as you can before attacking. Then crush him."

Nanashi couldn't help but grin like a madman beneath his mask at that. _Screw that. The snake is mine. He'll never even see me coming. Then everyone..._"As you wish. I take it that I'm leaving immediately?"

The Hokage shook his head. "No. Wait until tomorrow afternoon before leaving. At the rate of travel through Lightning country, if you leave too early you'll get caught up in the monthly storms that surround the outskirts of Kumogakure no Sato. Those storms are impassible, even to experienced Kumo-nin. Leaving tomorrow afternoon should have you arriving shortly after they finish for the month."

"Alright. Looks like everything is coming together."

The Hokage nodded. "I'll inform the council at the proper time. For security purposes, I plan on having Tenzou initiate a rat hunt. If we can round up some of his spies now, then in the case where he does escape he'll lose information on our activities."

Nanashi nodded. "I can already tell you one now, though I suggest leaving him alone until later. A 'genin'," Nanashi stated, winking at the old man when he mentioned the rank, "who goes by the name, Yakushi Kabuto. Trained in medical ninjutsu; he's at least on par with Kakashi. A damn good spy who actually used to be a dog of the Akatsuki, but now works for the snake."

The Hokage frowned at that. "He becomes a threat?"

"The bastard's right hand man. Sadistic fucker too."

"I see... you believe that if we eliminate him now then Orochimaru won't show himself?" The silence in the room was deafening at the question. The Hokage watched his subordinate flinch at the open question, as if ashamed that he 'wanted' Orochimaru to come knocking on Konoha's doorstep. _I really wish I could blame him, if even half of what is to come is true. This is a risky gamble that he's willing to try. _When no response was forthcoming, the older man simply sighed. _I suppose it's a good thing I'm not Tsunade-chan. _"... You have your mission."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." The blond haired special jounin simply gathered up the folder and left the office.

The Sandaime watched him leave, reaching for his pipe once again. As he took another puff from the sweet smelling tobacco, he turned in his chair to look out of his window that overlooked the village. As he stared, a small grin came to his face. He would never know why, although he would later guess that it was the feeling of upcoming victory over one of Konoha's enemies, he suddenly felt years younger, like when he first took the title of Hokage. _I'm sorry, my wayward student, but your days are numbered. Bring yourself here and be consumed by the will of fire that our shinobi possess and will continue to possess far into the future._

-/-/-/

Naruto only groaned before pulling himself to his feet again, his arms and legs already beginning to recover from his exhaustion. "Alright bastard, let's try this again." He brushed his jumpsuit off a little before settling into a stance and facing down his opponent, is ever-present grin already back on his face.

Sasuke merely rolled his eyes at his teammate's enthusiasm. "Whatever. Ready to lose again, dead-last?"

"Always, bastard. Always." The grin was starting to annoy Sasuke but he settled into his own stance, waiting for the blond to charge him as usual. His eye color twisted into the even more familiar colors of the sharingan, with two flecks of black circling the pupils quickly. He may not have appreciated Naruto's constant attempts to try and surpass him, but he had to admit that the blond was giving him ample chances to practice using his clan's doujutsu. He mostly used it to defend against the blond's improved taijutsu, but occasionally he was able to sneak in a new ninjutsu from his teammate. Although he now could perform the kage bunshin no jutsu now, he refrained from ever doing so, despite the usefulness of the technique. The first time he had tried to use the justu, it had knocked him unconscious from chakra drain and he only woke up in the hospital a few days later.

It was only when Kakashi explained to him exactly what the technique did that Sasuke's respect for his teammate rose. To be able to use the kinjutsu as he did... it spoke incredibly high of his chakra reserves, as even his sensei, the legendary Copy-nin Kakashi, had admitted that it would be impossible for him to use it as his hyperactive student did. Sasuke had merely nodded in understanding, but was slightly torn by the revelation.

On one hand, he was jealous of his teammate's potential. Chakra was the lifeblood of a shinobi and it spoke of everything from one's potential to the level of techniques one could use without killing themselves. The more chakra they had, the faster they could move, the stronger they could hit, and the longer they could fight. On the other hand, he realized that the blond-haired idiot could prove to be a useful teammate (moreso than the last member of Team 7), as well as a valid measuring stick of his growth. He knew that Naruto was the type to improve in spurts rather than at a steady rate, but it wasn't until after his teammate had learned a new Fuuton ninjutsu from his 'tutor' that Sasuke really understood it. To learn jutsu that fast without the aid of an advanced bloodline was impressive by itself.

The thought of Nanashi left a bitter taste in Sasuke's mouth, having a feeling that he had been only moments away from death earlier that one morning. _Nanashi is not someone I should mess with. He was more than willing to follow through with his threat this morning if I had said another word. But why is he so willing to teach the dead-last?_ He pushed the thought out of his mind as he waited for his teammate's attack.

Sakura and Kakashi merely watched the two sparring from the sidelines. To be more precise, Sakura watched the two spar while cheering for her crush (and sometimes Naruto as well, when he pulled off an impressive move. She was nothing if not fair in giving him credit when he actually deserved it), while Kakashi rested on a tree-branch, happily reading his book with only an occasional glance towards his two students. He had to fight a grin as he let out another giggle, pleased with how his two students were progressing. They may have not had the raw skill that Gai's two prodigies had, but they also hadn't been genin as long. He trailed his uncovered eye to his last student and had to fight from letting out a sigh. _What am I going to do with that girl? I would've thought that the mission in Wave would have snapped her out of that mindset, but perhaps they need a few more C ranks before she finally gets it. A shame she wasn't put with Kurenai, the girl would excel at genjutsu and Kurenai would love to pass on what she knows. _

Sasuke dodged Naruto's punches with little effort, occasionally being surprised despite the sharingan's predictive abilities. He retaliated in kind, sending blows back at his opponent, but was surprised when Naruto was able to block or dodge his blows for the most part. _He's getting faster,_ Sasuke thought in surprise as Naruto actually parrying one of the Uchiha's punches before delivering a punch aimed at Sasuke's face. Sasuke raised his own arm to catch the fist, but the amount of force in the blow itself was startling and it broke through Sasuke's weak guard. The Uchiha stepped back with the punch, allowing himself to gain distance before reconsidering his next move. He watched as Naruto seemed to beam in pleasure at finally getting a good hit on his rival in this round and Sasuke couldn't help but smirk, hoping to mess with him. "That your best punch, Naruto? Sakura can hit harder than that!"

Naruto blinked at the odd taunt before grabbing his chin as if in thought. He nodded sagely before agreeing with the boy, "Yeah, she does pack a mean right, doesn't she?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, internally annoyed that the idiot hadn't truly reacted to the taunt. "Let's make this interesting, Naruto!" His hands snapped up into seals and he was pleased that he finished the ninjutsu faster than he ever had before. _Training is paying off it seams. _"Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu!" The blaze filled Sasuke's vision and he couldn't help but smirk in his mind at his teammate's shocked expression.

Naruto cursed as the ball of flaming death approached. It wasn't the first time he had seen his teammate use this technique, but it didn't make it any less dangerous. He knew Sasuke well enough that he wasn't expecting to hit Naruto with this jutsu, but rather to force him into a position where Sasuke would have the advantage. Deciding that it was time to meet Sasuke's raise, his own hands began snapping through seals before finally locking on the final hand seal. "Fuuton: Kaze no tate!"

Sakura covered her eyes as Sasuke's inferno impacted against Naruto's wind shield. She mentally chided Naruto for his choice of jutsu, _Fire beats Wind, Naruto! You should know that! _Hence why she was surprised when the fireball looked to all but shatter around the column of wind surrounding her blond-haired teammate seemed to be consumed by the flames before they dissipated, leaving the normal column of wind still standing and a grinning Uzumaki Naruto in its center. "That's..."

"Surprising, isn't it?" She almost jumped when the voice of her sensei reached her ears. She looked up to see him watching the fight with a degree of interest now. "Katon techniques, in theory, should overpower Fuuton techniques. Most impressive that he was able to use that shield to disperse Sasuke's Gokakyu." _Actually, it's amazing he didn't incinerate himself. I really need to work on Naruto's strategies a bit more. Had he pumped any less chakra into the shield, it would have cooked him._

"I was just thinking the same thing, sensei." Sakura agreed, turning her eyes back to her two teammates who had once again locked themselves in a physical battle. Apparently Sasuke had taken it personally that Naruto had been able to use a weaker element to protect himself. "I'm actually kind of surprised that Naruto didn't somehow blow himself up doing that."

Kakashi grinned at his female student. "Maa, wouldn't be the first time, now would it?"

She only grinned at that. "True." She paused for a moment before asking, "I wonder what else Nanashi-san taught Naruto."

Kakashi remained silent at that. Truth be told, he wasn't sure how he felt about that. Naruto was 'his' student after all, and in a sense, it was an insult to him for the boy to be accepting training from someone else. If it had to do with clan hijutsu or something else along those lines, he'd probably be able to accept it. But the sheer fact that not only did Nanashi go behind his back to train his student, neither blond thought it necessary to inform Kakashi of this until Naruto had almost killed himself by practicing one of the Fuuton techniques that Nanashi favored.

Apparently, it was unwise to use the shearing winds technique while surrounded by large trees, as said trees have a tendency to fall after being sliced to ribbons. Especially if one had more chakra than he could safely use, creating a far bigger radius than the technique intended. Kakashi still remembered the look of success on the boy's face after the remainder of Team 7 was able to dig out their buried comrade.

"Maaa, it'll be fun to find out." Kakashi replied, bemusement in his tone as he focused his attention back to his book. As interesting as the pissing contest between the two boys was, the story of the lovable rogue Kyoshi being seduced by a beautiful priestess named Reiko was far more entertaining. Especially when it turned out that Kyoshi was really a woman disguising herself as a man to escape her possessive fiance. _Jiraiya-sama, you are a true genius!_

Naruto broke away from the Uchiha prodigy, his right hand rubbing the underside of his jaw from Sasuke's last kick. Likewise, Sasuke was merely watching his teammate, breathing heavily as this was only one of many spars that the two had already had that day, not including the training that Kakashi had given them. Naruto only grinned once more, as if pleased that Sasuke was still taking him seriously before his hands began moving into seals. "Hey bastard! Here's a new jutsu for ya! Designed it just for you!"

Sasuke only scoffed, his sharingan spinning as he, as if by the instincts provided by his blood, began matching the blond, hand seal for hand seal. He only smirked, "I'm always up for learning another of your jutsu, dead last."

"Good. Hope you liked your eyesight, Sasuke!" With those words, both boys hands froze on the final seal and Naruto called out, "Ninpou: Flashbang Technique!"

Sasuke barely had time to register the words before the burst of light filled his vision and forced him to scream in agony. Even more so when he had duplicated the technique so close to his own face. Sasuke stumbled back, desperately rubbing his eyes, blinking away the white spots in his vision before something hit him in the chest hard. He tumbled back a few feet before crashing into the ground on his back. He wanted to get up and return the favor to the idiot, as he knew the boy had taken advantage of his blindness to get in a cheap shot. When he felt someone close to him, he immediately threw a blind fist, only to have it caught.

"Maa, calm down Sasuke-kun." Sasuke relaxed slightly at the voice of his sensei, though he still couldn't make out the man. All he could see was white and the occasional shadow. It was starting to give him a headache. "Good fight, both of you, but this one goes to Naruto."

"Tch."

"Heh, how'd you like that one, bastard!"

"Naruto, when I can see again I'm going to kill you." The Uchiha's voice growled out in promise.

"So, Sakura, as an exercise, tell me what happened." Kakashi continued, undaunted by the two boys already falling into a familiar pattern of bickering, albeit more on Naruto's part than Sasuke's.

The pink-haired girl frowned at her crush on the ground, who was still rubbing his eyes frantically, before looking back up at Kakashi. "Well, as much as I hate to admit it, Naruto tricked Sasuke-kun." She paused for a moment, as if digesting the idea before continuing, "While Sasuke-kun clearly held an edge in taijutsu, Naruto knew that if he used ninjutsu that Sasuke-kun would just copy and use them against him. So he used that technique, thinking that Sasuke would duplicate it without thinking. In essence, he used the sharingan against Sasuke-kun." She paused before shaking her head, "I suppose it helps that Naruto can take a big beating like he can."

"Exactly! I hope this shows the danger of relying on your doujutsu, Sasuke." Kakashi seemed pleased at this outcome. Far too pleased in Sasuke's opinion. "Nice planning, Naruto. Where'd you learn that jutsu? I have to admit that it could prove rather useful in the future."

Naruto only grinned, chuckling slightly. "Something I've been working on for a while. Mostly to get away from psycho-bitch when she has the urge to 'improve my taijutsu.'" He shivered at the thought, "I wasn't sure it'd actually work, to tell you the truth."

Kakashi only shook his head, as if amused by his student's antics. _Well, considering Anko has apparently taken a shine to him, I suppose that makes sense. Kami help me if she had ever shown interest in me. _Kakashi couldn't help but shiver slightly at that last thought, ignoring the strange looks he received from his students. Sasuke merely scoffed, his vision starting to come back. "You got lucky, dead last."

Naruto glared at Sasuke. "And you're dead, prick. Take a look at your chest."

"Idiot, you fucking blinded me!"

"Now, now. Calm down children." Kakashi stated, amusement in his tone. As trying and aggravating as Naruto could be sometimes, he secretly got a kick out of it when the boy actually was able to beat Sasuke in something. The byplay between the two was like watching his own personal comedy show. "And I think he means the tag on your chest, Sasuke." Kakashi reached down and pulled the tag off before examining it. "Hmm, an unarmed shock tag. Yeah, this probably would've killed you if he had armed it, Sasuke. That or shock you unconscious."

"Shock tag? What's that, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura, ever the inquisitive kunoichi, couldn't help herself.

Surprisingly, it was Naruto who spoke up. "Neh, Sakura-chan, you know what an explosive tag is, right?" He waited until she nodded before he continued, "A shock tag is another reactive tag, just like an explosive tag. Only instead of fire chakra and explosive force, a high powered electric discharge is sealed into the tag. So when it goes off, the target, instead of being blown up, is electrocuted." Naruto blinked at the ensuing silence, before realizing that all three, including the now-recovered Sasuke, were staring at him as if he suddenly grew another head. "What?"

"Who are you and what have you done with Naruto?" Sakura's question was blunt and Sasuke seemed to nod in agreement.

"Hey!"

"I imagine Nanashi-san taught you how to make these?" The question was voiced by Kakashi, who was staring at the tag with interest. _Tag making is a pretty basic Fuinjutsu skill, but still requires a decent amount of technical skill. Especially since it's considered a Chuunin-level skill. _He spoke up, not seeing it but knowing that his students were all staring at him now, "Nanashi-san is a very skilled Fuinjutsu specialist, and probably knows more about it than even the Hokage. I have to admit that I find it surprising that he's teaching you this stuff. You don't strike me as the type."

Naruto shrugged. "It's actually pretty interesting. I still don't understand a lot of the stuff he talks about, but they're kinda like puzzles in a sense."

It was a simple statement, made by only a boy. He couldn't have possibly known the effect the words would have on the masked shinobi. Kakashi froze at those words, and his visible eye glazed over for a moment as his mind slipped back into the past, remembering another blond who had said the same exact thing. _Minato-sensei used to say the same thing..._ He couldn't help but watch as the image of his sensei covered his boisterous student for a few seconds before he snapped back to the present. _Minato-sensei... it seems your legacy may be following in your footsteps. _"Is there anything else we should know?"

Naruto rolled his eyes at his sensei, already knowing what the real question was. Mostly because Nanashi-san had told him about it, "Yeah, but don't worry. He said to tell you specifically that he hasn't taught me any offensive-based jutsu. Said that the old man would kill him if he taught me any of his attack ninjutsu." He paused for a minute before his eyes lit up, "He's shown me a few though. Kakashi-sensei, he can do that water dragon thingy of Zabuza's without seals!"

Kakashi only shook his head, more amused by his student's reaction than anything else. He shot a quick glance towards his other two students. Sakura seemed impressed by what Naruto was saying, if not a bit disbelieving. Sasuke on the other hand was practically seething and Kakashi knew that embers of jealousy were already forming the Uchiha's mind. He bit it off before the boy could ask though, "Somehow that doesn't surprise me. Nanashi is... a very unique shinobi within Konoha. I have no doubt he has more tricks than even Hokage-sama knows."

Kakashi only smiled beneath his mask. He clapped his hands together, "But enough about him. Good work, both of you. Keep up the good work and I may be tempted to enter you three into the Chuunin exams. It's very rare for rookies to be allowed to take them."

Sasuke only smirked, accepting the compliment for what it was. Sakura only smiled slightly, but as if hiding something. _Hmm, perhaps I should have a talk with her._ Naruto threw a fist in the air, a large grin on bursting forth on his face, "Hell yeah! Team 7 will kick ass and take names! And it'll bring me closer to being Hokage!"

"As if an idiot like you could ever be Hokage."

"That wasn't really necessary, Sakura-chan..."

Kakashi only laughed silently beneath his mask, watching as his pink-haired student smacked her teammate over the head. _Why did I refuse to teach for so long? This is prime entertainment, second only to the masterpiece of Icha Icha._

-/-/-/

_Long fucking day..._ Nanashi sighed at the thought as he pulled himself towards his apartment building. Receiving the diplomatic mission from the Hokage, preparing for said mission as well as swinging by the training grounds in search of Naruto. When he arrived, the boy was hard at work and it was refreshing to see the boy applying himself at some of the ninjutsu that Nanashi had taught him.

He had pulled the boy aside, making sure to commend him on his progress. He chuckled at his younger-self's embarrassed grin at the praise. He still remembered the conversation that followed. He knew that he probably wouldn't be able to give Naruto any last minute advice before the exam, even if there were no complications on his mission.

_"Listen kid, I'm not going to lie to you, I really wish I could teach you some of my better jutsu. You're a damn natural for ninjutsu, so much that it's scary. Hell, you've even turned a basic wind manipulation skill into an attack."_

_"Yeah, yeah. But the old man won't let you teach me that stuff. That stuff on explosive tags was pretty interesting though."_

_"Not just because you like causing explosions, I would hope." He chuckled as the Naruto looked away, a blush rising to the boy's cheeks at being found out so quickly. "Well, to each their own. I found it quite cool when I was your age." Nanashi had to bit his lip after stating that, _Yeah, no shit. Idiot._ "But there is something I do want to teach you. Something that will become your trump card if you learn it. A powerful A-rank ninjutsu developed by the Yondaime Hokage himself."_

_The boy's face lit up in excitement. "Really? Awesome! I'll show that bastard who's the better shinobi yet!"_

_Nanashi frowned. _As much as I would love that, if anyone sees him use this yet, it's going to prompt a lot of questions. Questions that will lead them back to me._ "Not so fast. Naruto, I'm going to teach you this technique, but you have to make me a promise."_

_"Promise?"_

_"Yes... promise me that until I tell you otherwise, you do not show anyone the jutsu, or allow anyone to see your training for it." He held up a hand to forestall the protest. "Naruto! I'm not trying to be an ass, or hold you back. But like I said, this was one of the trademark techniques of the Yondaime Hokage, one of the strongest shinobi the Elemental Countries has ever seen. Only two other people, besides myself, know how to perform it, and to the outside world, the technique is believed to have been lost with the Kyuubi attack. If people see you using it, its going to raise a lot of flags, especially considering your... circumstances. Questions will be asked that you won't be able to answer, that I won't answer, and it will cause an enormous amount of trouble for both of us. Do you understand?"_

_Naruto frowned. "Not really... but I promise. But..."_

_"What is it?"_

_"If this is supposedly a lost technique, then how do you know it?" His younger-self questioned before following it up, "Now that I think about it, I don't really know anything about you. How can you do ninjutsu without seals? When did you start studying Fuinjutsu? How come Kakashi-sensei seems freaked out by you?"_

_Nanashi stared at his younger self for quite some time before answering. "Tell ya what, Naruto. After the Chunnin exams are over, I'll answer all your questions. It'll make sense in time, I promise. Is that okay?"_ After all, I won't need to keep my identity a secret after that, unless we fuck up and the snake survives.

_"I guess..."_

_"Good. Now listen up, this technique is called the Rasengan..."_

Nanashi shook his head, clearing his mind of the events with Naruto and his _promise. If the old man knew I was starting him on the Rasengan, he'd probably murder me. Considering how fast I learned it before, he'll probably have it done before the match with Neji if I show him the last two stages during that month reprieve. _As his apartment building came into view he began to review what he still needed to do to prepare for his mission. His thoughts were once again derailed when he noticed someone waiting outside his building, leaning against the wall with her hands behind her head. He felt a shiver go down his spine as he walked closer, but made no movements to note his discomfort. Apparently she had sensed his approaching presence as she pushed off of the building with one leg, lowering her arms as she turned to face him. He couldn't read the expression on her face and he was once again glad for the mask that the Hokage had given him when he had left the hospital after his time jump. He stopped in front of her when he came close enough but didn't say anything at first. In truth, he really had no idea of what to say to the woman. He hadn't been deliberating avoiding her, but they had not spoken for a few days.

Her eyes shifted to the ground, as if unsure of what she wanted to say before she let out a sigh. "We need to talk."

He stared at Anko but didn't really know what to say. _The old pervert did say that nothing good ever started with those words. Then again, it is Ero-sennin. But, then again, Hinata never opened a conversation like that either, so maybe he's right. _He offered a nod before leaning against the wall of his building. He pulled down his mask and pulled out a cigarette, lighting one for himself. When he noticed her stare as she took a place next to him, he offered her one. She shook her head and he shrugged. "So..." He trailed off, having no idea on what to say to the woman. They were friends and comrades, but that night had probably changed something. It could explain why instead of her usual attacking him style greeting, he was being met with this more subdued reaction.

"How much do you remember from that night, and don't try to deny anything. As fucked up as the both of us are acting, we both know something happened." The question was honest, and still that underlying current of sarcasm that he had long-since associated with the woman's voice.

_Well at least she's trying to act normal._ "Honestly, not much until we were... testing my kitchen counters." He nervously stated, scratching the back of his head with his hand as he made sure not to look at her. He took a drag, trying to gather his thoughts and out of the corner of his eye noticed that the woman he had once thought of as shameless held a heavy blush on her face, as if thinking of the exact 'testing' the two had done. "You?"

The blush only deepened as she replied quietly, in a tone so unlike the Mitarashi Anko that he knew so well, "Umm, the same."

"Ah."

There was a long period of silence, in which the only real sounds that could be heard was that of birds chirping and the breeze blowing. _Hello awkwardness..._ The thought was immature, but Nanashi found it enough to lift his oddly heavy spirits. _The way we're acting seems like a pair of brats' first crush. If only the old pervert could see me now._ The silence was broken when Anko pushed off the wall, growling words that he couldn't make out under her breath, though from what he knew of her, he imagined them to be curses of some sort. "Fuck, this is annoying. Shit-for-brains, why the hell are we acting like this?"

He only shrugged, amusement in his features as he looked at her. "Who knows? Though, I am have to admit, I'm somewhat curious as to why you're so irritated."

She only glared at him, "Because, you stupid prick, you're one of the few friends a psychopathic bitch like me has and I'm afraid I fucked it up somehow." The words evidently slipped out of her mouth without her intention, because as soon as she realized what she had said, she immediately looked away, as if ashamed to meet his gaze. He only stared at her for a moment before looking upwards towards the sky, his cigarette hanging loosely in his mouth, as if doing an impression of Genma. _That... was unexpected. I was under the impression that she was pissed at me, or rather that she would be desiring to kill me right now. _The silence between the two dragged on after her outburst before she finally shook her head, "Forget it." She then turned and began walking away.

Nanashi watched her for a moment before speaking up, "Oi, snake-bitch." _Odd how that is starting to sound more like a term of endearment..._ She looked back over her shoulder, her face impassive, but seeming to expect something. He dropped his smoke to the ground before grinding it out. "I've been tapped for a mission. Tell you what, if this is still bothering the two of us by the time I get back, then we'll figure it out. Otherwise, I'll treat you to a drink to celebrate the future mental scarring you'll inflict on the Chuunin examinees. We cool?"

She looked at him, her face twisted into one of shock before a very familiar grin lit up her face. "Deal, nameless wonder. I'll tell you all about the tests Ibiki and I have in store for those snot-nosed punks." She then let out a maniacal cackle before walking away, leaving a bemused Nanashi.

However, as he entered his building, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he had somehow just avoided an explosive tag of immense proportion.

-/-/-/

_Thunk_. The repetitive sound of kunai striking a tree echoed through the training grounds. It was not uncommon, as trees were nature's original non-moving targets. Thick and hard, they were preferable to be used as targets where the blade would sink in rather than the stone of the mountains where, although a powerful shinobi could easily sink one in, most would simply have the blades damaged or even bounce back at them.

As preferable targets as that may be, there were not too many forests near Kumogakure no Sato. The village was high up in the mountains in the northern part of Lightning country, built into the side of a cliff within a strange hollowed out portion. No one who lived in the village knew how the cave-like structure came to form, as it happened no where else in the mountain range. Local legends spoke of the power of Izukuichi, the legendary thunder hawk who had long ago hollowed out the mountain to build its nest of gold. Some claimed that it was the work of the first Raikage, who used his immense strength to dig into the mountain with his bare hands for several years. Others simply believed that the near-constant storms that plagued Lightning countries northern mountains had simply weathered the structure down in time, over many, many years.

It truly was an odd work of nature. Although recessed deeply into the mountain, natural lighting was formed due to a type of fungi that grew on the cave walls, providing an eerie light that glowed a constant, soft yellow. It was this glow that provided the light that allowed the denizens of Kumogakure no Sato to see. Long ago, before the great shinobi wars, the village had been known by a different name due to this everlasting light. _The Village of Light_.

The same fungi somehow broke down the ground that the village was built on, allowing for limited spots where plants could grow, against what seemed like all laws of nature. After all, how can plants grow without soil, rather than rock? Kumogakure researchers long ago speculated that it had to do with the flux of chakra that the fungi gave off, breaking down the materials into different properties altogether. Nothing could really be confirmed though, but it went without saying that these rare places of flora were to be treasured.

Of course, that didn't stop the Kumo nin from using the strange looking trees as target practice.

And it did not stop the Konoha nin who was obviously irritated beyond belief. With a repetitive motion, his hand lashed out, throwing yet another kunai which struck only inches away from his prior blade. He growled when he reached for another only to realize that he had thrown all of his weapons. He glared at the tree as if a hated enemy before slowly approaching to retrieve his weaponry.

It was only then that his watcher spoke. He had known she was there for a while, but said nothing. He wasn't really in the mood to deal with anyone, and just wanted the damn Raikage and its council to finish what needed to be done so he could head back home. "Interesting picture. Is that a spiral?"

He glared at the container of the Nibi before turning his eyes back to his 'art'. Gathered there, a grouping of kunai and shuriken formed a tight spiral that looped around. "What the hell is taking your boss so damn long, kitten?"

Yugito glared at the leaf nin before shrugging as she walked up to be a few feet from him. Crossing her arms, she stared at the strange design as he began pulling out his weapons. "Calm down, tree-hugger. The old pricks on the council will bend. They always do." She then looked back at him before raising an eyebrow, "What's got you so pissy?"

Nanashi ignored the challenge from the kunoichi. He had been in Kumogakure for almost two weeks now while the Raikage and his advisors bickered with the governing council. _This should have been done before I got here. I should have been in and out. This is fucking ridiculous. And the snake is going to be in Konoha in less than a week. I'm going to fucking miss my chance if these stupid bastards don't hurry up._ Instead of speaking his mind, he simply spoke in a bored tone of voice. "Don't want to get caught in the crappy weather you guys have here on the way back. I've got work to do back home."

"Tch, you think we'd let you stay that long, treaty or no? It's not advisable to have foreign shinobi wandering around your home."

Nanashi only smirked beneath his mask as he stared into the eyes of Kumo's resident Jinchuuriki. "Aw, no trust for me, kitten? I'm touched."

She punched him in the shoulder hard enough to make him wince. "Don't call me that, bastard."

"Is that really the way you should treat a diplomatic guest of your village? Not to mention one that saved your life and stabilized those pitiful markings your previous Kage called a seal."

Yugito went silent at those words. Everything the man said, at least in regards to her, was correct. She still remembered the way Nanashi had effortlessly dealt with those missing nin back during their first encounter, as well as how easily he was able to keep up with her while carrying her teammates on his back. She was even more stunned when the blond revealed to her after only seeing her seal for a few seconds that it was unstable and would kill her before she reached the age of thirty if left unchecked. She also knew that the man had informed the Raikage of this little fact, prompting an offer to fix said seal as part of the village's deal with Konoha. She hated the fact that she was, in a sense, being used as a bargaining chip against her village but the Raikage told her to not worry about it.

_"In fact, I have the feeling that he would fix your seal, even if we turned down this offer."_

She shook her head before looking down at her stomach. She was wearing her normal uniform, only now with some sturdy leather armor over her chest and arms. She couldn't see her seal with her eyes, with her clothing in the way and all, but she could see it in her mind. However before the strange, disturbing, and damn painful ceremony, her seal had resembled an odd shape that looked oddly like a cat (at least if you looked at it sideways) surrounded by strange sealing script that she had long since given up trying to understand. The ceremony had changed the shape of the seal itself, and now beneath her clothing her stomach and chest looked as if she had been the victim of a crazy and drunk tattoo artist. The symbol of the cat was still there, but it was now tied into markings that she was even more confused about. One resembled a dragon with its wings unfurled, located on her right breast, while others looked like spirals similar to the one that Nanashi had been carving into the tree with his throwing practice. All of them were linked with the same sort of odd sealing script she had seen before.

She didn't remember much from the ceremony itself, other than the intense pain. However, the difference when she had awoken was like hot and cold. Her chakra flowed easier, and a slight tinge in her mind that she had never been aware of before was gone, as if she had been released from a heavy burden she had no idea existed. Her movements were just as swift and quiet as before, yet she no longer had to try for that effect, the silence coming effortlessly. Her eyes remained the same shape and color, but they no longer gave the appearance of shifting when not looking directly at someone.

"Why are you so impatient to get back?"

Nanashi gave her an even stare before turning around and leaning back against the tree he had been using. He put his hands behind his head and answered, "You know of the stipulations of the agreement?"

"Yes. Raikage-sama has informed me."

"I believe that our little snake is going to making a surprise entrance in Konoha in a few days. I want to be there to... greet him."

That prompted a raised eyebrow. "A hunch, or do you have information?"

"I know everything, kitty cat."

"Arrogant tree-hugger."

"Don't make me throw out your litter-box."

"I will hurt you one of these days."

"Do that and I'll be forced to declaw you, kitten."

The two's verbal bantering was interrupted by a non-distinguishable shinobi appeared before them. In his hands he held a sealed scroll, the symbol of Kumo and the blood signature of the Yondaime Raikage on the outside. The man spoke, his voice even. "Raikage-sama has agreed to your village's terms. Here are the details of that agreement."

Nanashi didn't hesitate, grabbing the scroll and giving Yugito one last nod before vanishing in a flash of shunshin. He reappeared outside the village gates and broke into a full run back towards Fire country. Konoha was roughly a week away at his top speed with the terrain in Lightning country as it was. _Will I make it in time? _

-/-/-/

Naruto had experienced a wide range of emotions in his young life. He knew the true face of hatred, both from the villagers who tormented him as he grew up, as well as his own personal hatred of those villagers that he hid from everyone, even the grandfatherly old man who treated him as if he were his own kin. He had known true joy, when he had finally passed the academy examination and earned his mark as a Konoha genin. He knew despair from his younger days of wanting to know why everyone hated him, and sadness from the passing of the apprentice of a nukenin from Mist who, in another world, would have been his brother in everything but blood. He knew fear, in various levels, from dealing with unbalanced ninja (mostly Anko) and the resulting wrath of said ninja when he provoked them. He had known apathy from the bastard, contempt from his former classmates. He was in awe of his various teachers' abilities, and still held a sort of affection for his pink-haired teammate.

However, as he stared at the form in his hand, he didn't know what he felt. Although the man had hinted at it on more than one occasion, Naruto didn't actually expect his lone-eyed sensei and team captain to enter them in the Chuunin exams. It still seemed rather sudden, but the training he had done with Anko over the last two years had drilled him to take his breaks when he could get them.

He would take this exam, pass it and become a Chuunin. It would simply be the next step on his path to Hokage. Failure didn't even register in his mind, his path set long ago. Uzumaki Naruto would be the Hokage one day, and kami help anything that stood in his path to the tower.

He shook his head, the whistle from the tea kettle crying out in its shrill pitch. Absentmindedly, he walked over to remove the container from his stove, shutting the device off as he poured the hot water into the cup of instant ramen that had been resting near the stove. After adding enough water, he took the cup and a pair of chopsticks back to the place where he had been reading over the entrance form. He broke his chopsticks apart and began eating, probably a bit too early as some of the noodles were still hard when he took his first bite. His mind drifted over the events of the day with detached interest.

After Kakashi had dropped the explosive tag on them, in the form of the exam form, Naruto had been thrilled. He had actually sought out the insane kunoichi that had nearly killed him on more than one occasion to tell her. She had grinned at him, not in the usual insane and creepy way, but much more like the talk they had exchanged after the Wave mission. She had ruffled his head a bit, offered her congratulations and given him one bit of advice.

"Don't die, Naruto. Life would be too boring here without someone to torture."

He had wanted to inform Nanashi-sensei of his entrance to the exams, but the man was nowhere to be found. He found out from Anko that his part-time sensei had been tapped for a mission a few weeks back and was out of the village. The woman seemed irritated by this but Naruto didn't question her; knowing when to keep you mouth shut was one of the first skills he had learned from the woman. Granted, it was a skill he didn't use as often as he probably should, but it was enough to avoid waking up in a snake pit. She had actually done that once after he had been ambitious enough to replace all her trenchcoats with pink counterparts.

Between that and the 'survival training' that followed, Naruto never pranked the former student of Orochimaru ever again.

Naruto snapped back to the present, putting the empty container down as he once again examined the form. After a few moments, he couldn't find the stupid grin that crawled onto his face. Without hesitation, he found a pen and signed his name, following that up by biting his thumb and placing his blood on the form, as per the instructions. As he licked away the remaining blood from his thumb, he finally realized what that feeling in his heart was. It was the same sensation he had felt when he had finally managed to cause that damn water balloon to burst.

Pride. If Naruto had grown up slightly differently, he would have understood the feeling much better.

He also would have known that pride often comes before the fall.

* * *

So that's it for the installment. After my beta's initial comments, I was highly tempted to redo the scene between Nanashi and Sasuke. My beta believed that Nanashi would be torn between rage and desire to manipulate Sasuke as part of his plans. He has a very valid point, and the only reason I kept it the same was that Nanashi has already alluded to, multiple times, his desire to kill Sasuke before the Uchiha can fall.

The short paragraph or two about Anko's nudity was something that came to mind when reviewing his comments. It amused me, so I put it in. Hopefully others got a chuckle out of it. If not, well, my mind is very twisted...

Thanks for all the positive feedback. I'm hoping to figure out some sort of schedule that I can hold myself to in regards to writing in the future, but like I said before, updates will probably still be slow.

Stats prior to this post (For those interested):

Words: 126813  
Average Words per chapter: 9059 (Bizarre, but noticeable trend of chapter size increasing as story proceeds, with a few exceptions)  
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Like I said before, thanks for all the positive feedback.

Rurouni

**EDIT:** I'm only adding this part because already a few people have asked about it. When Kurenai and Anko were talking earlier in the story, and Anko claimed to be a virgin, it was supposed to be her busting Kurenai's chops, hence why Kurenai 'called bullshit'. Maybe I'll go back and twist that so its clearer.


	16. Chapter 15

Here's the next update. I didn't go as far as I originally planned to in the plot, but I was having enough trouble getting there and figured something was better than nothing. This is unbeta-ed, posted at the early morning hours, so be gentle. And here's hoping what my mind was saying was actually what made its way into TextEdit's buffer...

Thanks for all the reader support I received since the last update. You guys rock.

* * *

Contrary to what one might have thought, considering her scores from the academy, Sakura didn't think much. Or rather, she tried not to think too deeply on a single subject for a long period of time without purpose. It wasn't that she was scatterbrained or easily distracted, but rather that she was intelligent enough for her own mind to play tricks on her. She had often joked with her parents that there was another version of her who was the troublemaker, and they had laughed at her little joke. But it was true in a sense. Her mind was like a steel trap in some respects, and once it latched onto an idea, it was very hesitant in releasing it for any reason. An annoying habit that often drove her insane.

Like now for instance, as she slowly got dressed. She slowly pulled on her usual dress, taking care to not disturb the bound kunai blades hidden within the insides of her sleeves or near her knees. She had gotten the idea from Kakashi-sensei when he had commented on her choice of field uniform shortly after Team 7 began taking missions. But it wasn't his few words of wisdom that held her train of thought now. It was something far more immediate, and she couldn't help but be nervous by the prospects.

The Chuunin examination.

She had known vague details about the passing of Genin to Chuunin. Then again, she had thought she had known about Academy Student to Genin, and that was not like anything she expected. Unlike with that exam though, there were risks here.

After all, today could be the very last day she saw her parents.

The thought chilled her and she cursed her overactive mind. She forced herself to stop thinking about it, instead trying to focus on finding her forehead protector. It was tied against her bedpost and she grabbed it, removed it from the post before untying the knot that had held it in place. She slowly brought it up and reapplied it to her own head in her usual style, taking care to make sure it was secure before checking herself in the mirror one last time before grabbing her tool pouch. She tied it to her side and took a deep breath, her eyes locking onto her mirror-image's. "Calm down, Sakura. You can do this."

She knew that she wasn't anywhere near her teammates' levels when it came to skill or strength as a shinobi. She didn't have Sasuke-kun's disciplined skill, his speed or his grace. She didn't have Naruto's unnatural stamina or his ability to adapt to changing situations that had humbled her in Wave, once she had time to reflect on it. She had book smarts, and was perfectly average in everything else. Sasuke-kun's dismissal the previous day had thrown that in her face yet again, especially when he said that she was even weaker than their blond teammate.

_Stop it, girl! Kakashi-sensei wouldn't have nominated you if he thought you were going to be hurt badly._ She frowned at that thought for a moment before shaking her head, _of course he would, what I am thinking?_ She slowly left the image of the mirror and walked downstairs. She knew that she was being silly and should just sit and having a relaxing breakfast with her parents, just like every other morning. However, she couldn't bring herself to eat. Just the thought of food made her feel ill, so she merely had a cup of tea to settle her stomach. Her parents said nothing, but it was clear to them that she was nervous, and she hated the fact that she couldn't hide it from them.

The Haruno clan were not shinobi. They never had been, but had probably been around Konoha since it's inception. They were good with their hands and many were carpenters, architects, or other skilled professions worthy of respect. Sakura's great-grandfather had even been one of the men who had designed the Hokage tower. She wanted to try her hand at being a shinobi, and although her family was worried for her, they gave their support.

After she finished her tea, she slowly stood, walking over to the sink and placing the cup, not bothering to turn the faucet on. She then walked past her parents and stopped at the door, looking back at them. She forced herself to give them a genuine smile, and that must have been the hardest thing she had ever done, before saying, "I'll see you in a few days, Mom, Dad." She didn't wait to hear their response and all but bolted out the door.

The walk to the academy had the opposite effect of calming her down. It seemed with every step she took, her senses went further and further into hyperawareness. She almost drew one of her kunai when she heard a door slam. _Calm down, girl. They aren't going to kill you before you even get there. Iruka-sensei's extra test aside._ The thought brought a small smile to her face. Her academy teacher had been surprised by her ability to see through his genjutsu, and to get the upper hand against him. It had been at the time, the thing that cemented her idea of joining her two teammates, as she knew the two would never turn down the challenge. She doubted that either actually cared about the rank at all; as if it were just a side bonus to their true goal.

It was the thought of her teammates that calmed her. Despite Sasuke's cold attitude, she sensed that he wouldn't allow any harm to come to her or Naruto. Naruto would do the same, even without his crush on her. It gave her a fuzzy feeling inside, and she knew that she would have to do her best to return that faith. They were both exceptionally skilled, or rather Sasuke was skilled and Naruto was growing at a rapid rate. She had been as surprised as Sasuke when Naruto had mastered the tree-climbing even before her. She suspected that the enigmatic Nanashi and the crazy woman Anko had a hand in that but she couldn't fault Naruto. After all, she knew that if Sasuke's family was around, he'd probably be getting extra training as well.

As she approached the gate, waving at her two teammates who stood there waiting for her, she frowned a bit mentally. _If they're both doing extra training, then odds are I'll never catch up to them... That's it! After the exam, I'll talk to Kakashi-sensei and ask for suggestions._ Her mind made up, she smiled at her teammates, greeting them and watching with amusement as Naruto declared that team seven would 'kick ass and forget about the names'.

It wasn't until they found themselves waiting outside a room on the second floor that some of her nervousness returned. There was a lot of genin here, and not just from Konoha. She was a bit confused why everyone was waiting around before she noticed the genjutsu, a rather poor one at that. _But why would there...?_ She didn't get the chance to finish her thoughts as Sasuke ordered the two older genin to get out of the way. When he actually praised her for her genjutsu-detection skills, she only grinned in a way similar to one seen on the blond prankster's face. _Hell yeah! Even Sasuke acknowledges me! _

"Of course. After all, this is only the second floor." She didn't think it was necessary but she brought her fingers into a single seal and muttered "Kai" under her breath. The image of the room sign waved before shifting back into its normal display. She smiled as she heard the whispers going around. _Maybe this won't be so bad after all._

-/-/-/

She watched, somewhat disturbed by the strange boy in the absolutely hideous green spandex outfit. It was a close second with Naruto's horrendous orange jumpsuit, but even THAT was debatable. As she watched him challenge Sasuke, she found herself hoping she never had to choose a side in that particular battle.

She was somewhat flattered by the boy's attention on her, but more of her was disturbed by his antics in displaying that. Even Naruto at his worst had never been that... forward. But she watched as Sasuke met the boy's challenge. "Hmm, challenging me knowing the Uchiha name. You're an idiot if you think you can take me." Sasuke cracked his neck to the side once before continuing, "You're about to find out what that name means."

Sakura squealed inwardly as the boy's settled into stances, ready to fight. _So cool! Sasuke-kun is going to kick his ass. _She blinked as she saw Naruto watching them with a frown on his face, his arms crossed as he stood next to her. She followed his gaze to the strange boy before looking back to Naruto. "What is it?" She whispered. She didn't know why she was whispering, but the strange expression on the blond's face seem to imply that it was the thing to do.

Naruto didn't speak up until the boy, Rock Lee was his name, rushed towards Sasuke with a flying kick. "I don't think the bastard can win this one."

Sakura blinked before glaring at him. "Be quiet, Naruto! No one can beat Sasuke-kun. He's the top rookie for a reason."

She was surprised when he didn't challenge her statement but instead replied back calmly. "Check out the weirdo's hands."

She looked back and gasped as Lee belted Sasuke across the face with a kick, sending the boy stumbling back. She ignored his boast of being the strongest Konoha genin there and instead tried to see what Naruto had seen. The fact that she might have possibly overlooked something that the dead-last of the class had seen galled her and she concentrated, focusing on Lee's, now-slightly uncovered, hands. It took a moment for it to sink in until she saw the calluses on his knuckles. "Are those...?"

"Yeah... Whoever this guy is, he's been training his ass off for a long time. I train for about twelve hours a day, give or take with our missions, since we've left the academy and my hands don't even remotely look like that."

Naruto's statement chilled her, even more so when, even after activating his clan's doujutsu, Sasuke was still manhandled. As Sasuke was kicked high into the air, a brutal blow that impact against the underside of his chin, she felt that earlier confidence in herself fade like a rabbit before a predator. It was only her unthinking reaction that caused her to rush out and catch Sasuke's fallen body. She was utterly disturbed when she realized that Sasuke was shaking. It wasn't until after Lee and his even more bizarre sensei left that Sasuke actually realized why he was shaking.

It wasn't from fear. It was from excitement.

"Heh, these chuunin exams should be fun." Sasuke-kun finally said. Naruto let out a large grin before nodding his head in agreement.

Sakura could help it, caught up in her teammates' enthusiasm, so despite her fears she found herself grinning alongside them. "Yup!"

-/-/-/

Naruto blinked when he Kakashi waiting for them outside the final door. "Ah, so Sakura came too?" The man was standing up straight, but had his hands in his pockets. His usual copy of Icha Icha was nowhere to be seen. "Now we can properly take the exam."

Naruto looked between his former crush and the lazy and perverted sensei of team 7. Sakura seemed wary, but then again Kakashi was not reading his book, which in the past had always meant trouble for the trio. He was about to ask the man what the heck he was talking about but Sakura beat him first. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kakashi cracked his neck to the side slightly, creating an audible cracking noise once before answering. "The truth is that the test can only be taken by a team of three."

Naruto blinked, his confusion returning full force. "But you said it was up to our own choice whether to take it or not." He then narrowed his eyes at his sensei, a feeling of anger welling up inside him. _Figures..._ "So you lied to us." It wasn't a question, and his tone didn't imply one.

Kakashi gave a serious nod. "If you had known, one of you two would have pressured Sakura into taking it. This is a serious exam, and there are consequences for the actions you will take during it." He paused for a moment before his eye crinkled into a smile, "But all three of you showed. You guys are my team, and I'm proud of that." He paused for a moment, as if drinking in the grins on the three genin's faces; a fox-like grin on the blond's, a confident and smug smirk on the top rookie, and a bashful smile on his team's princess. "Now go, and to use Naruto's words, kick some ass!"

Kakashi watched them go in a degree of amusement. As the door closed behind them, he couldn't help but think back to his confrontation with Gai during the nomination process. He had somewhat expected Iruka's hesitance, though he didn't care for it. He knew the man held some sort of relationship to the prankster on his team, but he never bothered to think on it too often. Too many people butted into Naruto's affairs as it was, and Kakashi gave him his space.

What Kakashi said was true after all; they were Kakashi's soldiers now, no longer the students that Iruka had taught. Not to mention that he knew their skill base far better than the Chuunin could ever hope to. Kakashi was nothing if not observant, after all. Sharingan aside, even. Gai's unexpected agreement with the Chuunin had rattled Kakashi's pride though. While he didn't enjoy dealing with Maito Gai, he did consider the man a friend and comrade. There was no one else that he'd rather have at his back. Well, no one alive anyway. But the way the man had come out and bluntly told Kakashi that there was no way they were ready irritated Kakashi in a way he didn't understand. And for once, he let his pride get the better of him, telling off Gai in front of a crowd of Jounin as well as the Hokage. And he knew from the look on Gai's face after the Hokage had dismissed them, that this wasn't over yet.

_Even if I went so far as to say that... the chuunin exam is the equivalent of a B-class mission. They did fine against Zabuza, all things considered, but that was mostly a fight to stay alive. Even those kids may be trembling right now._

He wasn't sure how long he had been standing outside the door thinking, and internally debating whether they were actually ready or not, before a loud voice echoed from behind the door. "Listen up, you bastards! My name's Uzumaki Naruto and if you want a piece of me, form a line!"

Kakashi couldn't help himself, his eye crinkling into a smile as he let loose a loud bark of laughter that could have been compared to one of his nin-dogs. As he slowly pulled out his treasured book and began walking away, he couldn't help but continue chuckling. _Ah, what am I worried about? Things will become interesting if they pass._

It wasn't long before those chuckles turned into familiar perverted giggles.

-/-/-/

Even Sasuke couldn't hide his surprise at the large crowd in the testing room. When he had first seen the number of idiots waiting on the second floor, he had expected that the numbers would actually be much smaller than this. His eyes scanned the room, his expression showing his irritation as they bounced from the various headbands worn by their fellow examinees; their competitors, if Sasuke's instincts were correct. _Just obstacles in my path... another step on the road to killing him._ His eyes passed over that bizarre Lee kid on his team, as well as the trio of Sand rats that he had encountered the other day, the strangely skilled redhead in front. He couldn't help but grin internally at the challenges to come.

After all, he was Uchiha, and Uchiha thrived on combat. It was their niche in the ninja world, and this exam would provide the opponents that he needed to climb to a higher level.

Sasuke was snapped out of his musings as he felt someone all but jump on his back. "Sasuke-kun! You're finally here!" Yamanaka Ino's banshee-like voice rang so shrilly in his ear that it took concentration to knock throw her over his shoulder to get her away. He totally ignored the byplay between the two kunoichi as he continued looking around the room. _If this stupid girl is here then..._ Sure enough, he saw the Nara and Akimichi talking to Naruto. Shikamaru looked as annoyed as Sasuke knew he must look, but knowing the slacker, it was for entirely different reasons.

His eyes shot to the side as another voice spoke up. "Well, well, well. It looks like everyone's here." Sasuke didn't mind Inuzuka Kiba. Like Naruto, he was an idiot and a delinquent, but he had always been a challenge for Sasuke during the academy. While the dog-user was not even on the same plain as himself, Sasuke did enjoy fighting him because of the Inuzuka's speed. Of course, after fighting Haku, Sasuke wondered if the mongrel would even prove to be entertaining anymore. "Look at this... All nine of this year's rookies are taking the exam. I wonder how far we will get." The arrogant smirk on the idiot's face amused Sasuke; he had not missed the way the boy had emphasized the word _we_.

"Psh, you seem confident, Kiba."

Kiba only smirked back, "We did a lot of training. We won't lose to you."

Sasuke half expected Naruto to say something to that, but when silence followed, Sasuke looked towards his teammate. He was apparently talking to the shy wallflower of a Hyuuga from the academy. Sasuke never thought much of her, and she wasn't annoying, so he never really thought about her. He was mildly embarrassed in a strange sense that he couldn't even recall her name. While in some part of his mind, he was curious as to why the two were discussing, it was pushed out of his head by a voice he did not recognize. "Pipe down, you brats. This isn't a party."

-/-/-/

Sasuke glared at the older, grey-haired genin who was walking towards them. Naruto looked up from his conversation with Hinata in order to scowl at the older teenager. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Yakushi Kabuto. More importantly, take a look behind you."

As much as Naruto was tempted to use some of Anko's more... colorful sayings, he obeyed and his eyes widened as he saw that the entirety of the room was glaring at their small group. He gulped a bit before turning back to the older genin. Kabuto looked amused with their reactions and with a theatric shrug, he shook his head. "I suppose I can't blame you. We were all clueless rookies once."

Sakura spoke up, "So, Kabuto-san... is this your second time?"

The genin pushed up his eyeglasses, "No, my seventh." He seemed amused by their wide-eyed expressions of shock before he answered, "This exam is tougher than you think." _And none of you truly know what's in store for you._

Shikamaru only groaned quietly. "I knew this was going to be troublesome." The rest of the rookie nine pointedly ignored him, with the exception of Ino who seemed to slap the boy on the head on reflex, not even confirming his position before doing so.

"So you probably know all about the exam?" Sakura ventured. Naruto looked at her after her words, a little disappointed by the conclusion she had drawn. He expected better of her, after all. _Sakura-chan, it means he knows how to fail it._

Kabuto simply smirked at the question before withdrawing a small pack of what looking like playing cards. "Something like that. And since you remind me of myself, when I first tried, let me share some of my info with you, rookies. With my nin-info cards."

"Nin-info cards?" The Yamanaka asked, holding the Nara boy in a painful headlock now and ignoring his struggles, not actually looking at the older genin, who seemed to watch this in amusement.

"They're essentially cards which I have burned information into using my chakra. They look blank for now, but apply a little chakra..." He trailed off, flicking out a single card from the large deck in front of the rookies. As it landed on the ground, he touched it with his fingers and the rookie nine blinked as a map of the elemental countries appeared, with a bar graph over each major territory. As if answering the unspoken question, Kabuto continued, "This is the information for the number of examinees and their villages of origin. As you can see, since Konoha is hosting the exams this year, we have the highest number of candidates."

Sasuke looked intrigued, shooting a glance at the older genin. "How good is your information on individuals?"

Kabuto only smirked, "Good enough. You have someone in mind?"

"Gaara of the Sand, Rock Lee of Konoha..." Sasuke then shot his teammates a glance before smirking, "and the genin under Hatake Kakashi."

Kabuto smirked at the last request, as if amused before speaking, "A vanity check, Uchiha-san? Well, since you gave me names, it shouldn't be too difficult." Kabuto's hand hovered over the deck for a moment before five cards seemed to slip out. He grabbed the first one and placed it on the ground, once again applying chakra. The first card closed up and seemingly floated back into the deck on its own. The second card opened up to reveal a picture of Rock Lee. It held his photo in the upper right, smaller photos of his teammates towards the left, below some text that seemed to be in code of some sort. Below that was a five-pointed diagram, each point representing something different. The mark for taijutsu was maximized and the mark for tools was halfway to being maximized. The rest seemed nonexistent. "Rock Lee. He's a year older than you guys, and his sensei is Maito Gai. Taijutsu specialist and recognized as a talented new genin. His teammates are Hyuuga Neji and a kunoichi going by the name Iketana Tenten, although the surname is not well known in the village."

The third card flicked out and once again, Kabuto applied some chakra. The data from Rock Lee vanished and Kabuto stared down at the card about Gaara. "Sabuka no Gaara... one of Suna's top genin, and the youngest son of the current Kazekage. I have his mission history but since he's a new genin from a foreign country, I don't have much on his actual abilities. Seems like he's pretty tough though, since he seems to have taken on A and B ranked missions with his teammates." Kabuto looked up and smirked, "Still want to see your data?"

Sasuke only smirked, hiding his discomfort as the mission histories of two of his targets went through his mind. _Experienced... and I know that Lee is strong... This should be fun._ "That won't be necessary."

Naruto was curious about how Kabuto handled that information, and in order to keep the genin talking, he asked him, "What do you have on me?"

Kabuto seemed amused by the boy's curiosity but obliged, drawing out another card. When it appeared, Naruto stared at his data. While he had decent marks in ninjutsu, there was almost nothing for tools and genjutsu. He noticed question marks on the points for taijutsu and blood. "What's with that?"

Kabuto looked down at the datasheet, reading his coded notes before replying, "Ah. The mark on your taijutsu is because according to everything I've heard about you, Naruto-kun, your taijutsu has risen drastically since you graduated and I've yet to confirm where you're currently at. Perhaps I'll get a chance during the exam? As for the point on bloodline... well, let's just say I assume that everyone has a bloodline limit unless they prove me wrong. It's a policy that tends to keep me alive."

Kabuto smirked as the genin accepted his explanation, but internally wanted to laugh. _No bloodline, but Orochimaru-sama has informed me of your Jinchuuriki status, Naruto-kun. So strange to see such an energetic child when compared to that headcase Gaara._

"Kind of makes you lose your confidence..." Hinata seemed to struggle to get the words off, her shy nature preventing her from not stuttering.

Sakura's expression went dark, "So you're saying that all these genin..."

Kabuto nodded. "Yes, they're all the top genin from their respective villages." He paused for a moment before adding, "Well, maybe except for Hidden Sound, as they are a new village. But the rest have been marked as elite genin from their home villages."

It was Shikamaru who decided to say what everyone was thinking. "This isn't going to be easy."

There was an odd silence among the rookie nine for a few moments before Kabuto watched the jinchuuriki face down the rest of the room, pointing at them and yelling out in a loud voice. "Listen up, you bastards! My name's Uzumaki Naruto and if you want a piece of me, form a line!" Kabuto chuckled at the boy's outburst, as well as the stunned expressions on the other genin's faces, including the so-called bastards that the ignorant teenager was calling out. Naruto decided to ask another question, curious. He ignored the mutterings of the other genin as well as Sakura's attempt to mollify them. "You have anything on people outside of the exam?"

Kabuto tilted his head. "I suppose... would depend on the person, I guess..." _Surprising that he would ask. I figured him to be the type to really only think in the moment._

Naruto smiled at the older genin and Kabuto almost felt bad for what was probably going to happen to this child when Orochimaru-sama went through him to get to the Uchiha. "He's an older guy. Goes by the name Nanashi. Ummm... I think he's a special jounin."

Kabuto shrugged before holding his hand over his deck again. He muttered something under his breath and another card came out slightly. Kabuto once again placed it on the ground and unlocked the data. This time it was Kabuto who was caught off guard and surprised, as the datasheet he was holding held even less data than Gaara's, and unlike with Gaara, it wasn't because Kabuto was hiding information. The datasheet was mostly blank, only a blank rectangle in the corner where a photo was before. Only a few notes were made on the paper and his shinobi pentagram was completely blank. The edges of the datasheet were tinged with dark red and Kabuto's eyes locked on the dark red letters at the top of his page in his own code. _Unknown skill. Do not engage unless necessary. Identity may be compromised otherwise. _

The spy remembered the man in question now. A few years back he had apparently arrived in Konoha out of nowhere, winning the yearly jounin fights rather easily. Many of the council were wary of him, simply because, like Kabuto, they had no information on him that was worth anything. Rumors about what his actual abilities entailed were sketchy at best, but that wasn't what had drawn Kabuto's attention. Strong and skilled ninja were plentiful in Konoha, despite Orochimaru-sama's views. The spy was nothing if not practical, after all. What had drawn his attention were the rumors of the man working alongside Orochimaru-sama's old apprentice to kill the Thunder Empresss, a nukenin from Kumo who during the last war had been compared to Tsunade in terms of battle skill. Not an easily made claim, considering just how powerful Tsunade had been during her prime. There was a reason she was considered legendary, and it wasn't simply for her near-miraculous medical skills.

The fact that Mitarashi Anko rarely spoke about said mission and avoided all questions from her peers about it spoke volumes to Kabuto, based off of the psychological profile of her his fellow spies had been able to put together for him. He held no doubts that the rumors were true, and considering he knew Mitarashi's approximate skill level, it worried him at what that might mean about the enigma's strength. _If even a fraction of the scattered reports I've heard are true, he could even be a challenge to me._

Kabuto wondered how the genin had come across this man and decided to simply ask_. He seems like the type to answer me, even ignoring the examination setting. "_I'm surprised you know this man. He's been the subject of many rumors recently." Kabuto sighed, putting away the datasheet and pushing up his glasses. "While no one has been able to confirm it, its believed that he led a two person team that ended up taking down Enrai Setsuka, one of Kumo's Heavenly warriors." The rookie genin looked confused so he felt the urge to elaborate. "Think of her as one of Kumo's top shinobi. Similar to the legendary three of Konoha." He shook his head, "While there have been rumors of his skills, no one has been able to confirm anything, or if they have, I haven't heard of it at least." He then looked at Naruto curiously, "You know him?"

Naruto nodded. "He's been helping me out a bit with a few things."

"What can you tell me, Naruto-kun? After all, I told you cute rookies some information."

Naruto shrugged. "Not much, in all honesty. He doesn't like to talk about himself, and asking tends to land me in chakra control exercises that give me headaches just remembering them." He paused for a moment, reflectively. _Probably shouldn't tell this guy that he wanted to teach me specifically, and judging from how he doesn't like to talk about himself, I probably shouldn't say too much about Nanashi-sensei._ "All I know is that he knows some powerful ninjutsu that he's been expressively told that he can't teach me. Old man Hokage once said that before he got injured he was a good candidate for the Godaime."

That wasn't exactly what the Sandaime had told Naruto, but the blond felt the urge to embellish it a bit. He had only once implied that Nanashi would have probably been a good match for him before Nanashi's mysterious injuries. Injuries that Naruto was never really able to find out the scope of but judging from the older man he considered a grandfather's expression, it wasn't pretty.

Kabuto's expression was even. "Interesting..." Any further questioning was cut off by the arrival of two Sound genin. Kabuto had been expecting this, and played his role, knowing full well that Orochimaru-sama wouldn't mind his playing with his pawns. After all, Kabuto was one of his bishops, and a bishop is allowed some leeway in the game.

-/-/-/

Morino Ibiki, to the surprise of many, was not actually a sadistic person. He did not enjoy his job, but he knew it was necessary to protect his village. His clan had always been involved in the darker side of prisoner interrogation in one form or another. Their genjutsu was practically based around the subject of bringing out a person's inner demons, and breaking them down spiritually from within. He still remembered the first time his father had used one of the first genjutsu he was taught against him.

He had only been under for approximately ten seconds in the real world, though it felt like an eternity to him. He had nightmares for weeks afterwards and refused to even consider learning the clan techniques afterwards. That had been until on one of his own missions where one of his comrades had been captured by the enemy. They knew they only had a limited amount of time to recover her before losing her forever and the prisoner they had captured in the field had the information they required. His team had each tried their own hand at getting the man to talk, but the bastard from Iwa simply laughed at them, rubbing the fact that they were powerless in their faces.

After Iwa had dropped the body of the Leaf kunoichi in front of one of their outposts, broken, bloody, and obviously raped to death, he felt something in him die. The first thing he did upon returning to Konoha was to go straight up to his father and bow his head. The man seemed to have understood, and Ibiki had always wondered if the Yondaime had informed his father of what had happened beforehand. Ibiki had just stood there, and waited, while another of the Morino-clan genjutsu closed around him like the abyss threatening to steal his soul.

And Morino Ibiki, Chuunin of Konohagakure no Sato, had opened his eyes and stared back into that darkness with complete acceptance, knowing he would never be the same.

His mind snapped back to the present, throwing a glare down at the snot-nosed brats that had been causing trouble. He noticed that the Konoha genin that were mixed up in it seemed to be almost completely made up of the members of the bloodline clans, but he didn't particularly care. To him, they may have well been the genin from Sound, who also were acting like they owned the place. He decided to put the fear of kami into them, already knowing that it would help with the first portion of the exam, and laced his glare with enough killing intent to have a civilian cowering like a leaf. _If they can't even shake that off, they might as well quit now. _"Quiet down, you worthless bastards!" When he had their attention, a thin grin came to his face. "Thanks for waiting patiently." The words were laced with sarcasm as he stared at the Sound genin. He pointed at them and then asked, "You three idiots! Knock it off, or do you want to fail before the exam even begins?"

The three were looking back at him, arrogance of youth shining in their eyes. The one who was wrapped in bandages spoke for his team, "Sorry... our first time. Got a bit excited, it seems."

Ibiki only scoffed. _Excited and provoked by genin. You're already proving you aren't worth the air you breath, let alone deserve a higher rank._ "This is a good time to mention this. There will be no fighting without the consent of the examiners. Even if fighting is allowed, killing your opponent will simply not be tolerated." His mouth twisted into a wry grimace, "Anyone who disobeys me will be spending some time in the ANBU torture facility, courtesy of the documents your respective villages signed when they agreed to send your worthless asses here."

He waited for any comments before breaking them up. Although the selection for seating arrangements were supposedly random, his instructions to the proctor was to make sure that none of the members of the same team sat near each other. A relatively simple request, and by removing them from contact with their comrades, it would be sure to add just a little more mental pressure for the upcoming game. While he didn't enjoy what he did, or at least thats what he told himself, he was very good at doing his job. Since administering this part of the exam was a pale substitution for his usual work, he found he could enjoy it a bit more. Simply watching their confused faces as he explained the overly elaborate rules for the exam was the perfect precursor for the expressions of pure terror that would soon follow after reading the first question. One of the foreign genin had the gall to ask how many were expected to pass. Ibiki wondered if he should fail her team for even bothering to ask such a stupid question. He didn't bother giving her a real response.

Now came the boring part. Typically, this was the point where the true genin realized what they were actually testing them on. The increase of chakra based spying techniques would be noticeable, but only the absolute worst to be weeded out. After all, it wouldn't due for a Hyuuga to be penalized for simply using their bloodline, an asset to Konoha. He found the cooperative cheating between stranded teammates far more interesting. Usually done by those lacking the fancy bloodline limits of their counterparts and being forced to be creative.

His eyes landed on one figure in the front row. The boy was leaning back in his chair, balancing precariously as he stared up at the ceiling. His hands were behind his head and his expression seemed to be one of deep thought.

Of course the picture was somewhat marred by the fact that the brat had the boy had the balls to balance his pencil on his nose as he stared upwards. Like an indulgent schoolboy who was bored with the lesson. Ibiki recognized the boy from somewhere, the leaf insignia on his forehead protector and blond hair distinctive, but for the moment he couldn't remember from where. He decided to see if he could shake the brat up a bit, as the Chuunin proctors present were staring between Ibiki and the blond curiously. "Already given up, brat?"

The blond didn't even give him a second glance, still balancing that damn pencil on his nose. "Nah... just thinking. That's still allowed, right?" The boy's voice sounded bored at first, but took on a sarcastic edge when he challenged Ibiki.

Ibiki finally made the connection and he couldn't help but smirk. _Ah, Anko's odd little protege._ Anko's strange teaching of the boy had not gone unnoticed, even before the brat had finished the academy. Ibiki didn't really care, as it seemed to calm Anko down when he had to deal with her, and anything that did that was good in his book. He didn't dislike the woman, but she was irritating to deal with sometimes. She had definitely raised a few eyebrows when she admitted to teaching the Kyuubi carrier some tricks. She had jaws dropping when word reached them that she had actually taught an academy student a kinjutsu, something that had infuriated the Sandaime. And it only happened again later on when she had taught him the explosive version of said kinjutsu.

Ibiki had little contact with the boy in the past. He had mostly picked up on things by listening to others, who either referred to the blond as a monster, or as an idiot. Anko, not surprisingly, chose the latter when speaking of the brat. She had also made the boy into a huge troublemaker, though from what he heard when overhearing conversation, the boy had always been like that. Apparently, Anko merely brought out the worst in him. The only time he had personal contact with the boy before today was when he had caught the boy trying to dye some of his coats a bright baby blue color, on a dare from Anko, he learned later on.

Ibiki was not a kind man, nor was he forgiving of those who entered his private areas without expressed permission. So, instead of listening to the boy's scattered explanations, apologies, and pathetic attempts to distract him while inching towards the window, Ibiki simply punched him. He had not bothered to hold back, as the boy was an intruder, after all. The blow had sent the boy through the large window in his own apartment, across the street to crash through another window on the opposite side of the road, one floor below his apartments. He had calmly followed and found the boy lying upside down, his legs up in the air, all his weight on his neck and shoulders. Ibiki had calmed down enough to ask the boy to explain himself, and through what must have been at least a mild concussion, the boy, _Uzumaki Naruto is his name, if I recall correctly, _explained the 'task' given to him by Anko. Ibiki had simply nodded and walked away afterwards.

When he had asked Anko about it the next time she came to T&I, she blinked. She then sheepishly admitted that she thought it'd be funny to see him 'scaring the absolute crap' out of prisoners while wearing a trenchcoat in the shade of color she had chosen. When he had mentioned what he had down to the 'intruder', Anko had simply stared at him blankly. He had wondered at the time if she was going to get angry over it, but he had nothing to worry about as a wide grin covered her face. She then through her head back and let out a mad cackle that Ibiki had only heard by the deranged men who were sent to the asylum after sessions with him.

It was at that point that he had decided that the less he knew about how Mitarashi Anko's mind worked, the better.

Ibiki only stared back at the blond who was still looking up at him challengingly. Finally he shrugged, "Whatever." He decided to not pay the boy any more notice. After all, it wasn't his job to actually watch to examinees, simply to scare the hell out of them. He allowed his attention to drift to the other candidates, giving approving nods to the skillful use of mirrors and coded signals between several different teams. He found him attention keep drifting back to the blond though, still resting in that same position, pencil balanced on his nose. Ibiki mentally frowned at that, _what is his game? I haven't seen him do anything yet, but could that be the whole point? His nonchalance attracts attention, and could possibly give his teammates the chance to cheat easier. But that doesn't seem right either... _His eyes narrowed as he glared at the boy once again, _Did Anko tell him what this first exam was? If she did I'll have her fishnet-clad hide staked to the wall._

When forty-five minutes had passed, he began to go into his warnings about the tenth question. No more than two words into his speech he noticed the blond lean forward, but instead of focusing on Ibiki, he looked to his paper speculatively, as if trying to remember something. The genin then grabbed his pencil from his nose, and quickly began writing in answers. Ibiki noticed this all with a frown but only continued his instructions. At once the weaklings began quitting, as expected. The numbers were dropping quickly and his subordinates took their time to remove the weaklings, hoping to increase the pressure on those choosing to remain. In the end, there weren't too many teams remaining. He half expected the strange pink-haired girl to leave, as she had begun raising her hands a few times only to put it down again.

"So, you are all prepared? Remember, your shinobi career will be completely dependent on this question. And I assure you that it is not one that many of you will be answer."

Ibiki had not expected anyone to say anything to him after the initial outbursts but he was once again surprised by the blond in the front row when he heard the boy's bored voice speak up. "Oi, scarface! You done with trying to get us to piss our pants? Just ask the damn question already."

Ibiki blinked before chuckling at the boy's audacity. _Anko's protege indeed. _"Big words from a shimp like you. Or have you forgotten that I have punched you through a few windows in the past, brat?"

Naruto blinked, tilted his head to look at Ibiki curiously before paling. "Shit, I almost forgot about that."

Ibiki grinned savagely, hoping to portray even more menace. "Open your mouth again and I'll be willing to throw you out that window as well." He punctuated his statement by gesturing towards the large window to his right. Naruto blinked before sheepishly scratching the back of his head. Ibiki looked up and noticed that many of the others were staring at the two of them curiously. _Brat's got a point. Still a lot here but Anko will take care of that. Damn that kid..._

"For those of your still here... I congratulate you on passing the first exam!" _And then there was silence. This is the part I like the best..._

The pink-haired girl from Konoha seemed to rise in her seat in confusion. "Wait... What do you mean? What about the tenth quesiton?"

Ibiki only smiled at the girl, something he had been told was a terrifying sight. He still didn't care. "There was never such a thing. Or rather, that question was the last question."

The sole remaining kunoichi from Suna seemed to echo the pink-haired kunoichi's concerns, albeit far more irritated. "Then what was the point of the other nine questions? They were completely pointless."

Ibiki frowned at the girl, before his lips curled into a smirk. "They served their purpose. They tested your individual information-gathering abilities." He went on to explain the format of the exam, and actually grinned as the light of comprehension seemed to dawn on a few genins' faces. They seemed surprised that actual Chuunin were placed into the examination alongside the examinees. _Perhaps they assumed their compatriots were simply more intelligent then expected._

Now came the part that Ibiki hated doing, but always did so because it only emphasized one of the points this exam was trying to make. He slowly reached up and undid his bandanna, revealing the scars, burns and screw holes in his head. "There are times where information is more important than life. On missions and in the battlefield, there are those who will stop at nothing to get that information. If the enemy or a third party notices you, the information you have spent time and energy gathering, often at great risk, can be compromised or even worse, become misinformation. I want you all to remember this. Important information in your hands can be a powerful weapon for a village, far more so than any jutsu. So we had to gain information through cheating. Those who couldn't perform up to an acceptable level were weeded out."

The kunoichi from Suna still seemed confused. "I still don't understand the last question."

"The tenth question was the true point of this exam."

"I don't understand."

Ibiki once again looked at the pink-haired kunoichi with a hint of amusement on his scarred lips. "Allow me to explain then... The last question, a 'take it' or 'not take it' decision. Obviously these were tough choices to make. Even more so if you actually like your teammates. Failing the question and exam could end up ending careers for all of you. With no chance of ever being allowed to test of the rank again, it requires a true leap of faith." Sensing the confusion still floating around the genin, Ibiki decided to explain further. "How about these two choices... Say you guys become Chuunin. Your mission to steal a top secret document. You have no idea of the size of the enemy forces. There could be traps even missing-nin and other hazards to prevent your mission's completion. There could be little chance of survival, let alone success. Now do you accept, or not? Because you don't want to die... you don't want your comrades hurt... Do you reject the mission?"

Ibiki waited a moment for the situation to set in. Once the genin had been given enough time to think, he answered the question. "No! No matter the danger, there are missions that you cannot avoid. The ability to be courageous and accept any hardship for your village are the defining qualities of a Chuunin. Those who walk away, with the mentality of 'I'll try again next year' or 'I'll take the next mission' are cowards who don't deserve the air their breathe. Those who chose to take the tenth question answered it correctly. You will be able to survive any troubles you face in your future."

He looked around again before concluding, "You have passed the initial entrance. The first test of the Chuunin exam is now complete. I wish you all luck." He noticed their cheers on celebration and looked in front of him to see a grin on the blond's face that had been annoying him the entire exam. "Hey, brat?" He asked, not caring if the others heard him. Most were too caught up in their own feelings of relief and excitement over passing the first test.

"What?" The blond answered warily.

"How did you cheat? We didn't notice you doing anything. Anko didn't tell you what the point of this exam was, did she?"

Naruto only seemed to snort at his question. "As if psycho-bitch with try to help me like that. She'd far more enjoy me failing so she could taunt me over it mercilessly." He rolled his head to the side before continuing, "Nah, she just mentioned that you liked screwing with peoples' heads. So I figured once you introduced yourself that the test would be something involving that. So before you broke us up, I made a few kage bunshin, henged them into bugs and had them wait on the ceiling with chakra. Once everyone had answers, they dispersed and I filled in what I needed."

Ibiki actually laughed at that. _Figures that Anko's protege would do something like that..._ "Well done then, brat."

-/-/-/

Naruto couldn't help himself as the scarred man declared their advancement to the next phase of the exam. The only thing that was more awesome was the man's quasi-public compliments on Naruto's actions during the exam. Grinning like an idiot, not that he cared, he slapped Hinata on the shoulder, shooting her a wild grin. It only widened a bit more as she seemed to light up as red as a tomato and he couldn't help but chuckle.

He didn't know why, but he liked the Hyuuga girl. She had never insulted him like so many others in the past, and that counted for a lot in Naruto's world. She acted strangely, but he decided to not hold it against her. If she could go without insulting him like everyone else his age, then he wouldn't say such things about her. Besides, despite her strange habits, she seemed like a really nice girl.

Ever since Nanashi-sensei had somehow passed him off to the girl's sensei during his taijutsu tutoring, he had found himself being forced to interact with the girl far more than he ever had in the past. At first he was confused but, like usual, Nanashi-sensei had explained it with that all-knowing tone of voice that he often took when trying to get a point across to him. "Fighting me and Anko all the time isn't going to help you. Well, anything besides your reflexes. You need to fight different styles of taijutsu. Kurenai-san's student has a similar problem and needed a sparring partner. I figured it'd be a good chance for you to learn something from someone your own age about taijutsu, since I doubt Uchiha or Haruno will have any useful advice for you."

He was about to congratulate the girl when he sensed a familiar chakra signature approaching. Normally, he would have never picked up on such a thing. After all, chakra sensing was a high level shinobi skill, especially since many could mask their own chakra and hide it. Many tried to learn it early, but according to Nanashi-sensei, not many truly picked it up until they were far more experienced Chuunin. He remembered Anko scoffing at that, but not disagreeing. He had a grasp on what Anko's chakra felt like, as well as Sasuke's and Sakura's, but only a little bit. He imagined it was only because he had spent so much time around them. Even now, he couldn't sense Kakashi-sensei's or Nanashi-sensei's chakra at all.

Without truly thinking, he tightened his grip on Hinata's shoulder, as well as grabbing the person sitting next to him on his other side. "Down!" He pulled the two down in an unexpected burst of strength as the windows shattered, sending glass shards flying all through the room. Naruto felt some fall on his back and hesitated for a moment, staring at the ground before he heard the voice of the person he had been expecting.

"This is no time to be celebrating, you worthless shitstains!" Naruto poked his head up above the desk for a moment, taking in the vision of the psychotic kunoichi that he had grown to know. Slowly, he helped Hinata back up and back into their seats as the elder kunoichi continued, "My name is Mitarashi Anko and I'm the examiner for the second test! Now let's go!"

Anko simply stared out at the gathered genin in anticipation, a savage grin on her face. When no one made any sort of motion, she began feeling a bit uncomfortable. It was only when she heard Ibiki say something quietly behind her that she actually blushed. "Bad timing."

Desperate to reclaim some of her quickly failing pride, she opened her mouth to yell at him for letting so many pass when the voice of her sometimes-student blared across the room. "Damn it psycho-bitch! You 'are' insane! What the hell did you think you were doing? I can't believe-"

Naruto's rant was cut off as Anko casually threw a kunai at him with blinding speed. The blade nicked the side of his throat, drawing a thin stream of blood, not enough to be dangerous to his health though. On reflex he his shot up to the wound, ignoring the stupified glances from the others in the room. He was about to yell at her again when he felt a weight drop into his lap, as well as a familiar hissing sound. He closed his mouth, gulped, before looking down hesitantly.

And stared into the familiar eyes of one of Anko's summon snakes. The one she constantly used against him. He couldn't help himself, and all but whimpered. "I hate snakes..." The snake, as if sensing Naruto's thoughts, began hissing louder, moving its head slightly as if preparing to strike. "Nice snake... nice Kraitler-chan... Oh kami, not another trip to the hospital for snake poisoning."

Anko merely glared at the boy. "Shut up brat." She then turned back to Ibiki after taking a longer glance at the gathered genin. "78? You left 26 teams this time?"

Ibiki shrugged, looking slightly uncomfortable to the genin. It seemed that this strange kunoichi even disturbed him slightly. "There was simply a good crop this year."

She snorted. "Couldn't have been that tough if that stupid and annoying brat is still here!" She exclaimed, pointing one finger at the blond who was trying to sooth the angry snake. She calmed slightly before shrugging, "Whatever. I'll cut them down to size, since you were apparently too nice. Must be losing your touch, scarface. Keep this up and I'll get your job, instead of being part-time."

Ibiki only chuckled at her antics, as well as the looks of discomfort on the genin's faces. Anko had that effect on people, and he hated to admit it, her attack on the blond in the front row had convinced everyone that she 'was' insane. Or at least willing to kill any of them for no real reason. _Damn... I should have her work this exam with me next time. Should be incredibly fun to watch them squirm as she messes with them._

"Alright. Follow me to the next stage of the exam. I'll explain everything there." She then began walking towards the door.

"Umm, examiner-san?" A meek voice called out. Anko looked over at the source and was surprised to see a young Hyuuga girl looking up at her meekly. _Isn't that Kurenai's Hyuuga brat?_ "Umm. the snake?" She finally was able to stutter out, gesturing towards the snake that looked more and more ready to sink its fangs into Naruto.

Anko blinked before shrugging. "Wouldn't be the first time he's been bit. He'll be fine."

"Damn it, Anko! Do you know what kind of hallucinations this snake causes when it bites? Nice snake, nice snake..." The first part of the outburst was loud and angry, and then quieting into a pleading request.

"No, because it usually kills when it bites. Guess that makes you lucky brat." She then looked at the rest, "Well, what the hell are you shitstains waiting for?" She then turned and left.

Most of the examinees seemed to look between the door and the blond being held in place by the actions of the seemingly vicioius snake. Then most of the genin began moving, as it didn't concern them. In the end, only the members of teams 7 and 8 were there, along with the shinobi who had been sitting on Naruto's other side, and the Chuunin examiners. Hinata seemed worried about Naruto but eventually Kiba dragged her away.

"Any ideas, dead last?" Sasuke asked, annoyed at having to wait because of the idiot. Though, he was glad to see that the snake hadn't yet bit Naruto. _After all, I need him for the exam..._

Naruto barely heard him. He was too busy praying to whatever kami may exist for this snake to unsummon itself. He had only been bit by this snake once before, and it had sent into the hospital for a day and a half of the absolute fever dreams he had ever experienced. The Hokage have been livid and had almost killed Anko when he heard, at least according to what the snake mistress had told him later. Especially since normally being bitten by this snake seemed to result in death in a matter of minutes.

It was another one of the times that Naruto was actually grateful for his freakish healing ability.

He was about to try and kawarimi with a chair when a hand shot out and snatched the snake but the back of its head. The snake writhed for a moment before the fingers holding his head crushed inwards, causing the snake to disperse. Naruto let out a sigh of relief before turning his gaze to his savior. "Thanks."

The strange genin had an amused smile on his face. Or at least Naruto thought it was a guy, although he couldn't really tell. The genin was standing in front of the blond, wearing a wide straw-hat, a sealing tag hanging from it's side on a string. He had long black hair that made him look even more feminine, and was pale as if he hadn't seen the sun in years. A forehead protector bearing the insignia of the Village Hidden in the Grass was strapped across his forehead for the others to see. "It was my pleasure. Think of it as a thank you for warning me about the glass shards." The grass genin seemed to size the three of them up, his eyes lingering on Sasuke the longest.

Sasuke couldn't help but fight the shiver that suddenly raced down his spine. _This guy... is dangeorus._ The grass genin seemed even more amused at Sasuke's reaction, a long tongue tracing his lips before he remarked with a low chuckle. "Konoha shinobi are quite... eccentric." He seemed to find this amusing as all hell, as he continued that low disturbing chuckle as he left team 7 behind.

After all, he'd seen them again soon enough. _Just wait for me, Sasuke-kun..._

Team 7 simply exchanged glances before they heard a rough cough. They looked towards the front of the room to see Ibiki glaring at them. "Get going, you idiots. Anko hates laggards, so you better get moving if you know what's best for you." They nodded at the order and team 7 quickly left the room, leaving a slightly amused special jounin behind, as well as many disturbed chuunin examiners. _Looks like this exam will be an interesting one._

* * *

That's it for the update. I had originally intended this to go well past them actually entered the forest of death for the start of the second exam, but this chapter was not working well for me. I really need to work out a time where I can work on this more consistantly.

Thanks for all the support.

A few notes:

1. I've done the best I've been able to do with Sasuke. People think I'm being hard on him, but to Nanashi, Sasuke is the enemy. I'll even go as far as to agree that I may perhaps made him power-hungry a little early in the story (Sasuke that is) but I find that hard to believe, considering the sole goal for his life was to surpass his brother.

2. I am up to date in the manga, however I will not be changing where I take this story. The idea was conceived far before I actually started reading the second part of Naruto. The story is AU regardless, so don't expect me to keep up to date on the changes. I'm not particularly a fan of where Kishimoto is taking the story, so read at your own risk.

3. Does anyone else think that the enemies in part 2 (Akatsuki, Madara, Pein, Snake) are all mad overpowered? Hell, Sasuke seems like a minor god now, and he's taking orders. Not to mention that the best fight scenes in Naruto... rarely contain said character... Somewhat amusing to me.

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	17. Chapter 16

Folks, sorry for the delay on this chapter. I know its been a while and the size of this installment isn't enough to really satisfy some of you who have been waiting. I've had a lot of interesting stuff going on in my world for the last few months, hence the delay. I'm actually going on vacation for a few weeks so I won't be around to work on the next chapter for a bit.

Enough excuses. Enjoy.

* * *

Anko stared out over the gathered genin with a hint of amusement. As much crap as she gave Ibiki for leaving so many, she had the feeling that the man hadn't simply been trying to assuage his own ego when he had declared that they had a good group this time. She wasn't surprised to see Naruto and his team there, despite her act back in the classroom. She figured after dealing with her whims for the last year or so, nothing that scarface could throw at the boy would be able to faze him. _Well, short of actually injuring him._ Anko mused before taking another look over the genin. She recognized Kurenai's team, as well as that smokestack, Asuma's team. Gai's team was towards the back of the crowd and she already pegged them for passing this test. Unlike Kurenai's mouse of a Hyuuga, Gai's was capable and talented. His other difference from Kurenai's little princess was the fact he was willing to use extreme force when the situation called for it.

She watched them in silence, allowing them to take in the perimeter of training area 44. She was familiar with the place, as it was one of her favorite training areas. As such, she was more than used to the sight of the insanely wide trees that seemed to twist and turn through each other towards its outskirts. The makeshift metal fence blocking entrance was there only to keeping the unwary civilian from entering, though she figured it would be no loss if one did manage to wander in. The sight of the trees and the forest's unnatural darkness that could be seen from outside the fence was an unsettling thing to see, even to some of the shinobi who had used the training area before. The signs of 'Danger' and 'Keep out' added to the location's ambiance, and thus increasing the subtle mental pressure she could feel building in the genin's minds.

She grinned sadistically, _Time to start increasing that discomfort._ "Welcome to the second stage of the exam. Practice area 44, otherwise known as the forest of death." She heard the muted mutterings of some of the genin, even in some of the older ones from the foreign villages. Once she was sure she had all their attention, she sighed theatrically. "Well, I'm sure you'll all figure out how it got that nickname soon enough."

Anko's eyes landed on Naruto, who seemed to be frowning at the forest. Unlike his two teammates and most of the other genin, he seemed more confused than disturbed the misshaped forest. _Probably because I dragged his ass out here on more than one occasion._ When no one spoke up, she let out another sigh. She had actually been hoping for some loud mouth genin (preferably Naruto, as she already knew the scene in the classroom spooked most of the genin), to make a wise-ass remark about the nickname so she could have a little fun. Needless to say, she was somewhat annoyed that no-one had taken the bait. Instead she reached inside her coat and pulled out the stack of papers. "Before we go any further, I need you all to sign these release forms."

Some genin from Takigakure raised a hand and she gave him a nod. "Release forms?" he questioned.

She nodded, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. It was part of the act of 'carefree and insane examiner' that she was using for her test. _Granted_, she had to admit to herself, _it's not really too much of as stretch on the way I usually act_. "Well, there will be deaths in this test. And since I don't want your respective villages blaming me for your lack of skill and coming after me, you have to sign these forms, saying it's not my fault when you die in there." She enjoyed the looks of disbelief on most faces she could see and continued, "I'll explain the test, then you can sign these forms afterwards. Once all the members of your squad sign, bring it to the booth over there." She finished, gesturing over her should at the makeshift booth that had been set-up for this exam. She paused for a moment to let them absorb all that before speaking again, "And now I'll explain the second exam."

She went through the information that the genin required for this stage of the exam. It wasn't the first time she had given this speech, and provided she didn't die before the next time Konoha hosted a Chuunin exam, it wouldn't be the last. She didn't really pay attention to the words coming out of her mouth about the course, or the rules for their survival battle, instead taking the time to watch the reactions of the genin being tested. Some became decidedly more nervous as she went on, but most either looked intrigued, confident, or showed nothing.

Eventually her eyes went to Naruto, who was staring at her, as if seeing her for the first time. She didn't really want to take the time to think about what might be possibly going through her sometimes student's head, but did meet his gaze as she finished up. "Last bit of advice, don't die out there."

_-_*/-*/-*/

The Sandaime of Konoha held his pipe in his hand, but it was left unlit. It was more of a nervous habit than anything else, and he knew that despite how much he could use the relaxation that the herbs brought, he would have to go without today. He stared into the crystal ball that had been handed down since the time of the Shodaime. Contrary to what one may believe, it was no mere conjurer's ball of prophecy, nor was it something fortune tellers used to scam people. The crystal was engraved with very shallow seals all around its circumference. So shallow that most would never notice, even if they ran their hands over the surface. It was a tool to be used by the Hokage, and one that Sarutobi had used many times to monitor members of his village. The seals in place allowed him to search for and find keyed individuals, but only if they were within a certain distance. He also needed to know what the person looked like.

He was currently using the ball to watch team 7 dash through the Forest of Death, the second exam having already begun. To say he felt unsettled would be an understatement of massive proportions. _Today is the day that Naruto predicted. Today is the day where either truly begins, or truly ends..._

His orders to the main Anbu squadrons had been clear. Remain unseen, and follow team 7. Then engage anyone who appeared that seemed above Chuunin level. No, not just engage, signal for backup and terminate with extreme prejudice. A secondary team had been sent of the team of the 'known' spy, Yakushi Kabuto. They carried similar orders, only to wait until the team was alone before proceeding.

After all, appearances had to be kept.

He let out a sigh before focusing chakra into the ball again. The current vision of team 7 faded, only to be replaced with a grayish fog. Sarutobi cursed mentally, knowing what this sign meant. _Damn it, Naruto. You should've been back by now!_ He dismissed the foggy image before resettling it on team 7.

He had wanted to be the one to lead the Anbu against Orochimaru but Nanashi had stated it would be unwise. "The snake knows your chakra signature too well. If he senses you anywhere near the forest, he's going to know something is up."

Sarutobi had frowned at the explanation and then questioned on why Nanashi should be there then.

Nanashi had only grinned, "Because he has no freaking clue I exist, old timer. And thus, I have the element of surprise."

Sarutobi shook his head out of the memory, turning his attention back to team 7. Whether Nanashi made it back in time to confront Orochimaru was irrelevant now. The Anbu squadrons should be able to prevent what was to come, and hopefully, take down the biggest of Sarutobi's mistakes. Though a small part of him still wished the future version of Naruto was on hand. The fact he hadn't yet returned from Kumogakure was unsettling on many levels, and he did not want to speculate why.

_Hurry up, Naruto! I've got a bad feeling about this..._

_-_*/-*/-*/

The man smirked as he and his two subordinates simply waited in the path that he knew the Uchiha's team would follow. Genin were so easy to predict, after all. The three would-be Kusa-nin were simply waiting for their prey now, the leader with almost giddy anticipation. He never thought it would be this easy to complete his plans. Granted, he didn't really respect the security of his former village as much as one would think, but even he was disgusted at how easy it was to switch places with the three fools from Kusagakure.

"What are you orders, Orochimaru-sama?" The snake master turned his attention to the disguised Kimimaro, the leader of his personal bodyguard. The Kaguya had been an asset, and the notorious nukenin felt it was such a waste that the prodigy that served him was not long for this world.

"They'll be passing through soon. You two will wait here while I play with them." Orochimaru smirked at that before his senses detected something that had not been there before. He immediately lost the smirk, the fires of anger already pooling in his soul. "Oh, it looks as if we have guests."

His two subordinates were instantly alert, Kimimaro already having a pair of bone sabers ready and Jiroubou already ready to unleash the Doton jutsu that his master had imparted to him. As if coming out of the trees themselves, like some sort of mist, the ANBU squadron showed themselves, silent as the rolling mist they seemed to emulate. They took up positions around the three but did not immediately engage. They seemed to simply watch and wait, but obviously prepared for anything. Or at least they felt they were.

"Isn't it against the rules for the ANBU to get involved in the genin examinations?" Orochimaru queried with a smile. Internally he was frowning though. _They found out this quickly? I had guessed they wouldn't find the bodies until the second exam was complete. I guess they deserve some credit after all._

One of the ANBU spoke, but due to the masks they were wearing, as well as a minor genjutsu, it was impossible to determine which one it was. "Orochimaru, by the laws of Konohagakure, you are to stand down and submit yourself to us. Your time is up, traitor." This was immediately followed by the lighting a chakra flare, shooting red smoke high into the air, through the trees.

Orochimaru glared and hissed. _This is not what I intended._ "Unsightly fools. Kimimaro, Jiroubou, kill them all. I have business to conduct." With a few fluid motions the Kusanagi appeared in his hand and he calmly began walking towards the direction that team seven was heading. He didn't even bat an eye as he was attacked. _No one is going to get in my way. The Sharingan will be mine, fools. _He continued walking through the fools who attacked him, leaving corpses in his wake. Kimimaro and Jiroubou would take care of the rest, and the reinforcements.

After all, his little date with Sasuke-kun wouldn't take that long.

_-_*/-*/-*/

Anko didn't dare let up her pace as she raced through the forest. She ignored the branches that seemed to conspire against her movements, her hand always snapping up in time to grab and break any offending branches that would strike her face and slow her down. She knew what she doing was foolhardy at best, but she didn't care. She had been waiting for this chance for longer than she could remember, and she wasn't about to let the Anbu cut her out of it, even if the old man had ordered them to do exactly that.

She wasn't proud of admitting it, but the fact of the matter was this: Anko would cut down anyone who stood between her and her former sensei, friend or enemy alike.

Anko brought herself out of her musings when she felt a spike of killing intent that was strong enough to send shivers down her spine. She imagined that whoever was the target of such a spike would probably be stunned, especially if it was some snot-nosed genin. But she immediately altered her course towards the spike, and was rewarded when she heard a familiar voice yell out in a blast of hot chakra and rage, "Fuuton: Kaze no Tate!"

Anko stopped and had to anchor herself to the trunk of the tree she was using when the blast of wind rippled outward. _Naruto? Glad to see he's in the thick of things! _After the wind died down, she continued towards where she had detected the spike of killing intent. She found herself staring down at team 7 and their attacker, and felt her blood boil as she saw who it was. She glared at the man and immediately began forming the seals for the strongest ninjutsu she knew. It was probably foolish, but she now needed to make enough of a scene for the genin to escape and for the Anbu to show up. _Just in case..._ She thought to herself.

The fake Kusa nin seemed annoyed, and was glaring at the blond. "You are not amusing me, little genin. I suppose I will have to take my fun out of you in other ways." That long serpentine tongue trailed out, running over the man's lip. Before he could do anything else, he jerked his head up and to the genin's right. He hissed in outrage before leaping backwards, just in time to avoid a roaring dragon of what appeared to be pure electricity slam into the spot where he had been standing previously, sending sparks flying in all direction from the impact. The flickering sparks seem to saturate the clearing with the smell of burnt ozone and spent chakra.

Anko cursed to herself but didn't remove her eyes from her opponent for even a second. Her voice lacked any of her usual sadism or taunting as she spoke to the genin. "You three, leave now. Leave the intruder to me and head to the tower. The exam is compromised. As the executor of the second exam and Special Jounin of Konogakure no Sato, I am giving you a direct order to head to the tower immediately."

"Anko?" She didn't even look at him and just responded. She was rewarded by his usual yelp as her thrown kunai marked him.

"Now, you stupid brats! Move or I swear to kami that even the Kyuubi would weep in terror after its seen what I've done to you!" The three genin didn't need any more motivation after that, immediately scattering and heading towards the tower. Not a moment too soon either, as the Kusa nin stepped back out into the clearing, a curious look on his face.

He watched the genin go before looking back to Anko with a raised eyebrow. "I was under the impression that anything goes during this exam. It's not very... honorable for the proctors to get involved in a battle between genin."

"Drop the act, Orochimaru. We know who you are." Anko growled out, dropping to the forest floor, approximately fifteen feet from her former sensei. She was livid, and for more than one reason. One of her proctors had found three bodies after the start of the second exam. She had been called to look at three bodies that were found. She was surprised when she arrived to find an ANBU squadron already there, examining the bodies and talking on radio headsets. Upon seeing the state of the bodies, she had known it was him. The ANBU seemed to already know this, and informed her that they already had teams in the forest hunting down the snake and that some had already engaged him in battle. She issued some orders of her own, snagging the radio headset from the ANBU squad leader and using Shunshin to get back to the testing grounds, ignoring the squawk of protest. She leapt the gate without considering the scene she was showing the other proctors, already attaching the headset to her ear, finding the active channel reporting the position of the intruder.

All signs pointed to preemptive knowledge of the traitor's presence in the exam, and she had been obviously cut out of the loop. And that pissed her off to no end. _Old man, we're going to be having words if I survive this._

The man stared at her, no expression on his face before a grim smile crossed his face. He slowly broke into laughter as he reached up and tore the faux face from his own, revealing his true visage as he looked upon his old apprentice with amusement. "Impressive, Anko-chan. I did not think the ANBU would get past my men, or discover me until after I was done here."

Anko said nothing to that. She had rushed here in order to fight the one who abandoned her to her fate so long ago, but now she realized what her true role was to be_. I have to kill him, or at least stall him until the ANBU can break through his little minions. Glad I did though, or who knows what the hell he would have done to those kids_. "All this time, and here we stand, sensei." She allowed several small throwing daggers to fall into her fingers from her coat sleeve before speaking again, "I'm going to kill you, here and now!" And with those words, she let her daggers fly, following closely after them.

Orochimaru seemed amused by her passionate claim and allowed her to close. He snatched the thrown daggers out of the air with casual grace before whipping his tongue out at his ex-pupil. The slimy appendage missed her face by centimeters due to a head dodge, but it was clear that it wasn't meant to actually strike her as it curled back around to grasp her windpipe. Anko's charge slowed as the air was crushed from her but reacted quickly, throwing up her arm to the tongue and allowing the Shadow Snake hand to form around the tongue, the vipers chasing down the muscle to its owner. Orochimaru was caught off guard by the fast reaction and that momentary distraction allowed Anko to use chakra to anchor herself and twist, using the snakes and the grasp on the tongue to throw her sensei over her shoulder and slam him into a tree trunk. The tongue crushing her air loosened and she swiped at the muscle with a kunai, almost slicing it off as he retracted it back to his mouth. She was upon him in an instant, a pair of kunai in her hands as she went to blind the bastard.

Orochimaru recognized the danger and twisted his body. It allowed him to avoid being impaled by her charge, but not enough to avoid the knee strike aimed into his gut. He didn't even have time to buckle over when he felt a palm strike hit him hard in the face, slamming the back of his head into the tree trunk again, leaving a small crater where the back of his head hit the wood. With one more quick motion, an explosive tag was out and against his face, and he could feel the chakra flowing through it, promising his death. "I'll see you in hell, sensei." The woman's voice ground out, obviously prepared to kill them both with this suicidal attack. Her right hand was holding the tag against his face in an open palm grasp, and her left had restrained his right hand from moving. Far from the best hold, but for the amount of time the tag needed, it would work.

Anko's knew that this attack would kill her as well, but she knew it was worth it. After all, it was what she had always wanted when she thought of her traitorous sensei. Her moment of victory was snatched from her when the body she was holding against the tree trunk dissolved into mud. She cursed, throwing away the tag and jumping away from the resulting explosion, barely avoiding turning herself into a crispy critter. She was forced to roll as she landed, in order to put the flames on her coat out. She stood, turned and glared at the irritating laughter that still haunted her dreams and saw Orochimaru sitting leisurely on an extended tree branch, leaning back against the trunk as if he were just taking a relaxing break.

He looked down at his pupil with a disturbing smile, as if amused by her attacks. Like they were nothing more than the antics of a child. She didn't delude herself, she had known she would be outmatched, but she also knew that she needed to do this. "So reckless, Anko-chan. Coming alone to fight me, and then fighting so wildly. I taught you better than that." He then pulled one hand into a seal and smirked, "And one should punish poor students, after all." He watched in amusement as the woman's face went pale and she all but dropped to her knees in visible agony, one hand going to her neck where Orochimaru knew his little gift remained. Oh he knew that fool Sarutobi thought he had devised a counterseal but Orochimaru knew it wouldn't truly block the effects of his masterpiece. He casually slid down and walked towards her, relishing in his grunts of pain. "This is the first time we've seen each other in so long, and you're still so passionate about me. I'm flattered, my dear."

Anko glared but forced herself to grunt out the question. "Why are you here? To kill Hokage-sama?"

Orochimaru continued his little walk. "No, I don't have enough men for that. I thought I'd check the talent here and see if I could find some promising pupils. Just like how I found you, Anko-chan."

"So which poor bastard did you mark?"

He frowned at the question. "I had hopes for the young Uchiha, but you got in my way. He looks to be talented, from the reports I have, and he is perfect for my next successor." He frowns before shaking his head, "No matter, I'll have other chances. He stopped before her and ran his hand alongside her face. She twisted away from it, amusing him further. "Though, if I had known you would become so beautiful, my dear, I wouldn't have tossed you aside so casually."

If he hadn't been such a good shinobi, he would have died in that moment. Orochimaru saw the woman's trembling halt as a small smile covered her lips. He reacted instantly, using a replacement immediately as the woman exploded in a blaze of pyrotechnic glory. He stared dumbfounded at the destruction before his gaze traveled upwards to where he sensed his student's true location was. She simply knelt there, on the edge of a long tree branch, glaring down at him. Finally he spoke, actual approval in his voice. "You've improved, Anko-chan."

Her only response was another onslaught of flying kunai. Orochimaru only grinned. _Perhaps I should indulge her after all. There will be other chances, and how often do I get to play with my ex-protege? _"Let us play then, child. I will show you just how powerless you really are."

Anko only snarled, forcing herself to calmness, despite her outward appearance. _Don't play into his hands. He plays mind games constantly, taunting his opponents, making them make stupid mistakes. Be calm, and be unpredictable. He has no idea what you're capable of now, and all he knows is that his little love-bite isn't working properly._ She took a breath to prepare herself before dropping down to his level, a thin kunai shooting out of her coat sleeve and already twirling between her fingers. "I was one of your men, a lifetime ago. It falls to me to be the one to make sure you never leave this forest alive. That is my responsibility, for being your pawn." Her hand lashed out behind her and she had to fight the smirk on her face as the kunai she had thrown behind her nearly struck the hidden man in the face, forcing to give away his true position. The mud clone that had been taunting her fell away and she immediately turned to raise a block to the incoming punch from behind. She grit her teeth as the force of the blow sent her sliding back several feet but she held her position.

Orochimaru followed up his initial attack her several more successive blows. She was able to block and parry them for a few exchanges before one broke through her guard, impacting against the side of her ribs. She cursed and bent from the blow and watched in pain as a snake-hand strike flew towards her eyes. As the blow landed, she collapsed into mud, causing the legendary shinobi to right himself and take in his surroundings. "Come out, come out, wherever you are..." He taunted in an amused voice.

Anko didn't wait too long to oblige her sensei. She watched from her position as several of her mud clones attacked from his flanks while one other prepared her trap. It did not escape her notice that Orochimaru had yet to use any real jutsu yet, and it even seemed like he was toying with her clones. It wouldn't surprise her, but as long as he underestimated her, she had a chance, albeit a small one. His movements were quick and contained all the grace and finesse that she never learned from his style. She had converted it into a brute-force style, rather than the defensive style of parries and counters that she knew he excelled at.

She watched as he easily countered and defeated her two clones before he looked directly at her hidden position. She cursed and immediately moved, only to watch her former position destroyed by a blast of flame. She spun in mid-air, her feet catching on the underside of a tree branch and she immediately moved down, her fingers already forming seals of her own as she saw the next blast of flame. She finished her seals and threw as much chakra as she was willing to sacrifice into it, slicing her hand down towards the center of the gout of flame. "Fuuton: Wind Blade."

She felt more that saw the thin blade of wind fly forth and split the ball of flames, sending the two halves to the sides of her charge. She had picked up the trick from Nanashi, and she was damn glad she knew it. While Fuuton and Katon didn't play nice together, usually with Katon coming out on top, there were a number of ways to cheat using wind ninjutsu to overcome the more powerful fire jutsu. Using a thinner attack to split the flame rather than cancel it out was one such way, but it wouldn't have worked if it had been a sustained flame burst, rather than a simple fireball.

She was caught by surprise though as Orochimaru was suddenly before her. His fist lashed out and impacted against her face in a hard blow that sent her flying through the forest, her right arm clipping the end of a tree trunk as she flew past. She screamed in agony as her right shoulder was dislocated from the impact , and although she couldn't' see it, she could feel the pain. She bounced a few more times before finally coming to rest at the base of a large redwood. Her head ached and she slowly moved her left hand to the back of her head, which was now resting against the tree trunk. When she saw blood on her hand, she was not surprised but didn't let it faze her. She slowly rose to her feet, paying little attention to her injured right arm as Orochimaru slowly walked toward her.

He stopped about twenty feet from her, crossed his arms in front of his chest and appraised her. "Hmm, I'm surprised that didn't knock you out, Anko-chan. You must at least have a concussion from the impact."

Anko only grinned, only now aware of the taste of her blood on her lips. "Though I walk through the valley of head trauma, I shall fear no concussion." She said flippantly, reaching across to right her dislocated shoulder with a loud popping noise that would normally have caused someone to grimace.

Orochimaru didn't even grimace, nor take note of her taunting joke. "Reckless with the wind blade as well. You haven't changed at, have you Anko-chan?"

"Life is change, you bastard." Her hands then lashed together into the common release seal and she grinned, "Release."

The ground that Orochimaru had been standing upon was instantly blown apart, courtesy of the explosive notes that her mud clone had placed earlier. She had not been intended to use the trap so soon, but she couldn't just let it pass, especially after he gave her such a hard blow already. She was moving as soon as the debris was done flying, knowing that she hadn't killed him, but she wasn't about to wait around for him to come to her. She flew into the dust cloud that still covered the forest around them and instantly threw four more kunai towards the chakra source she could sense.

The dust was settled soon enough as a burst of wind lashed through, causing Anko to anchor herself, rather than be pulled along with it. That was a mistake and she realized it soon enough as hardened earth latched onto her left leg and held her in place. She cursed and twisted as much as her bound leg allowed, once again raising her forearm to block a crushing blow that send tremors of pain down her arm. Orochimaru seemed annoyed at her block but didn't let it stop him from following up his attack, slamming a front kick directly into her chest. The blow was hard enough to break her leg's stony confirement and send her flying again. Anko was in control much better this time though, and she reached out her arm to catch a thicker branch above her, using chakra to redirect her moment to flip back to the ground.

She hissed in pain as she landed, her left leg giving off an incredible burst of pain. _Damn, getting yanked out of hardened stone when my body was twisted like that couldn't have been good. _She didn't look at her leg; she didn't have time to. Once again, she sensed him before she saw him and turned again to meet his attack. Only this time she didn't block. She lowered her body at the last moment and lashed out with her right hand. His hand hit her left shoulder, but her hand impacted directly against his rib cage and although she was reeling from the pain in her leg and shoulder, she grinned in insane satisfaction when she felt something crack beneath her blow.

Orochimaru seemed surprised and jumped back a few feet. He looked at her as if she had suddenly grown two heads before that familiar sneer appeared on his pale face. "Perhaps you have improved Anko. But you know you can't keep up with me."

Anko ignored the pain in her body, and the part of her mind telling her to flee before he decided to stop playing with her. Instead she simply began forming seals, "Time to find out, sensei."

A shame that those would be the last words she would hear herself say in the fight.

_-_*/-*/-*/

Orochimaru slowly cracked his neck to the side, producing an audible crack as he slowly paced forward. He didn't know whether to be irritated or impressed that he could feel a bruise forming on his rib cage, a result of an unexpected counter from his former protege. He even licked his lips, tasting blood, his own blood, for the first time since... well, since the last war, probably.

He looked down at the woman, his face already moving into the smirk that he knew she hated. The one he imagined she had nightmares about. While little Anko-chan had surprised him, and even put up a respectful fight, she was still outclassed. While he may have a bruise or two and a split lip, she was considerably worse off. Her trenchcoat was in tatters, the remains soaked in her own blood and plastered against her own body. Her left shoulder was unresponsive and a quick glance confirmed that his latest blow had indeed dislocated it. It was almost a matching set with her right arm bent backwards at the elbow, as if the joint had reversed. She was lying on her back, her eyes glassed over as she stared upward, fighting to breath. The kunai driven into her stomach was obviously not helping, and a slow trickle of blood leaked from the wound. He imagined the only reason she had not bled to death already was because the weapon was still embedded into her.

"Not bad, Anko-chan. Not bad at all, my dear. Perhaps I was wrong about you." He said this, knowing she would take the bait. Even beaten as she was, he doubted that she would ever let one of his comments slide.

Her eyes seem to remain in her own little world before snapping into focus and she grimaced as she glared at him. "Go to hell, you bastard."

He actually bent down until his face was only a few inches from hers and spoke, "I hope you realize that you've accomplished nothing. You wanted to hold me until the ANBU arrived, yet I have no doubts my own men have... taken care of them. You wanted to stop me from having fun with that little genin team, but that also does nothing. After all, I know what the Uchiha wants. Hopefully he'll prove a better successor than you."

Anko spat in his face, phlegm mixed with her own blood. It hit his cheek and he glared, his hand lashing out and slapping her across the face. Anko's head jerked to the side hard enough to roll her body, despite her broken limbs. He rose slowly, no longer amused. _Still, she is my child, in a sense. I'll give her a befitting death._ He opened his mouth and allowed the Grasscutter sword to come forth, taking it from his tongue with a flourish that no one besides him could see. He slowly raised the blade and waited for his former subordinate and student to turn herself around.

She didn't disappoint him, despite her broken limbs and being almost empty of chakra. Her glare was ever present though as she showed no fear at the sight of the legendary blade. "I swear to kami that I'll crawl from the gates of hell and kill you, Orochimaru!"

"Eloquent as always. Goodbye, Anko-chan." The blade then came down. Anko's last thought as she saw the flash of the blade was a plea to the one who had saved her after the man about to kill her first abandoned her. _Hokage-sama, bring this bastard to justice!_

She didn't close her eyes, but she still didn't see what happened. It was all a blur in her mind, but then again, it was probably the blood loss catching up to her. When she felt no pain from the sword, although the rest of her pain was still present, she looked up briefly. Orochimaru had jumped back, the hand holding the kusanagi twitching wildly as he stared towards her in what looked like absolute rage. It took a moment for her battered mind to realize that he wasn't glaring at her, but rather someone else. She didn't know how she could have missed him, considering he was all but standing over her. He stood in front of her, seemingly protecting her. It was the last thing she saw before finally blacking out.

Orochimaru allowed his irritation to show as he glared at the new arrival. Finally, he spoke, his voice regaining its composure. "Hmm, so little Anko-chan has herself an avenging samurai. I don't know you." The masked blond's eyes were like glaciers as they peered into the snake's. Orochimaru easily took in the man's condition, despite the attempts to disguise it. He was obviously exhausted, lacking chakra, and looked as if he hadn't slept in days. _Still, even in that condition, he was able to sneak up on me like that. And he used a jutsu, probably a raiton of some kind since I can still feel the static._ "Not very polite, are you?" Orochimaru sneered.

"I have no need to show respect for scum like you." The words were cold, and Orochimaru found himself wondering who this individual was. Despite his obviously poor condition, he still held a fighting spirit that seemed radiate around him with power.

"Touche. So what shall we do, my mysterious friend? Do you think you can kill me? Perhaps stall me until another squad of ANBU finds us?" Orochimaru took a few steps away, resting the sword against his shoulder, tapping it thoughtfully. "Then again, if you don't hurry, little Anko-chan will die." The man's glare seemed to drop to even icier levels and Orochimaru grinned at the reaction. He realized he had wasted too much time in this kami-forsaken forest. _Saskue-kun eluded me thanks to Anko-chan, but I'll have other chances. There is no point in remaining._ He finally turned his back on the masked blond. "I'll be taking my leave then. Tell the old man that if he cancels the exam, I'll crush his pitiful village."

"You really think I'm just going to let you walk out of here?" The man's words were heated now, unlike the previous coldness.

Orochimaru smirked an unseen smirk. He only casually glanced towards the man over his shoulder and said in a deadpan voice, "You will if you want her to live. Unless you're a medic-nin, then she needs a hospital."

The man seemed to be grinding his teeth behind his mask. "You damn son of a bitch."

Orochimaru only chuckled as he began sinking into the ground, "Pass on my message, boy."

"I'll kill you!" The man roared out, kunai already sailing through the air towards him. The shionbi was following in its wake but it was all for naught, as Orochimaru knew it would. Before the kunai hit the ground he was well on his way out of the forest.

Nanashi slid to a stop, glaring at the spot where Orochimaru had made his exit. It took every fiber of self-control he had to stop himself from lashing out at something, but a quick glance at his dying friend forced him to focus. He quickly went to her side, carefully shifting her unconscious body into a modified fireman's carry. Without any other hesitation he was already moving.

"You stupid bitch. You better live, Anko, or I swear I'll summon your corpse just to kill you."

* * *

I have to admit, that the original form of this chapter was actually much longer and far more confusing. I had to stop myself and figure out what exactly I wanted to do here. In the end, I decided to break the Forest of Death experience up into two separate sections, with one focusing on Anko and Orochimaru and the other focusing on Team 7. Before they were combined with a lot of perspective switching, but by the time I made it through about, eh , halfway, I realized that it was already ungainly, especially in terms of what had happened so far and who knew about what.

The next chapter will be the Forest of Death from Team 7's point of view. They'll interact with Orochimaru and further. It will touch on their encounter with the snake and then reveal the rest of the second exam that they will undergo.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for reading.


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